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Message:: [QUOTE="Just Carl, post: 163600, member: 4552"]Agreat way is to hit the coin with a Butane torch. If it melts easily it was the Zinc one. If the copper coating vanishes, it was the Zinc one. IF you end up with a blob of Copper, it was the Copper one. Actually the balance beam method of a popsicle stick is the most accurate method I have found. Also, by far the cheapest. It could be made of anything really. For example you could use any round object. Place it on a table. Place any flat surfaced object accross it and find the focal point so that is ballances verly well and glue it there. It dosen't have to be perfect because the weight difference is significant. Now place a  pre 1982 cent on one side and your 1982 cent on the other side. Now rememeber a few things though. The coins wear should beapproximately the same. The coins will have to be at the same spot on both sides of the stick. If they almost balance, the 82 is Copper. If the pre 82 coin falls flat down, the 82 is the Zinc. Another thing is to contact any chemical supply house and buy a balance beam scale. Or just type in balance beam scale in the internet. There are scientific organizations that sell them cheaply. I still have a few from when I was a kid and had a Gilbert Chem set. I wonder if they are still in buisness.[/QUOTE]