Featured Zincoln Alka-Seltzer and my 1.558g Zincoln

This post will probably scare most of those Coin Collectors that think all coins are Doubled Dies and every mark on them MUST be a MInt error. And it may make experts ponder when they see a light zincoln, what actually happened to it.

So even though the story starts out nice and kind it does turn into a nightmare for some, nah, a devilish nightmare. So turn away now whilst you still can.

So for this year I finally broke down and "processed" my circulation change, and more specifically the cents/pennnies as my cent tub was overflowing.


I normally separate them by decade and then store them away. I may or may not in the future actually search them That's a plan but you never know.

But first, as I thought about this for a few days I noticed whilst exercising that I had a few cups of coins in them on a desk next to my stair stepper? Odd, as I keep the cups for separating coins and they are in a different location. Of course, then I noticed I had a third set of cups elsewhere. Dyslexia and halucination at it's best.


So I accumulate my THREE sets of cups.
A little less insanity now.



But as I go through all the cents I've noticed something consistent, with meandering thoughts, such as:

• It seems every shield cent is thinner, lighter, and smaller than all the others.
• Some of these corroded zincoln cents actually give off a puff of white powder in the air when you touch them or flip them to check the date. Are these safe to breath around ?? Should the government set up a SuperFund to properly remove these from circulation and people's storage ?
• as I create my pile of "misfits" that will get the alca-seltzer bath .. more commonly known as muriatic acid because it's so cool to watch. You'll be glad to know that the nickels, dimes, and even most of the pennies will get put back in circulation with the unbalance copper & gunk wash they get from the cents. These are the only coins that are granted another day in circulation ... all the misfits with a copper wash. Yes, I can hear all the newbie coin collectors out there thanking me.
• Everything else not a "misfit" heads to my Davey Jones' Locker .... why put "perfect" coins back into circulation, right ?
• Every 1982 D and 1982 cent I separate provides a slight giggle whether audible or not as I realized it has now been taken out of circulation to prevent abhorrent CT posts of "the one"
• As I ponder basic existence I come to the realization that I really do not understand the reasoning for coin hunting and the large amount of time it takes. I guess I'm in the same camp as late CT poster (still alive just not on CT) V. Kurt Bellman in this regards about coins. I'm lucky though, I have more restraint than he did about calling people idiots. Matter of fact, we need an "Anonymous Idiot" button for posts. This thought I consider the most beneficial aspect of this entire process as I write.
• As I further ponder my, catch-kill-and release process I wonder how many weigh their cents and wonder if they have truly found a rare "thin" planchet zincoln.
• Coin collecting probably was a lot cooler in the 1970s and before. Back when it was more regional and localized as the internet didn't dispel of everything. I still recall in the 1980s and 1990s of mailing out checks to certain coin stores such as one I vaguely recall located in Missisippi which I believe was run out of their house. When you relied upon the expertise of the store owner to properly describe by phone and in the inventory mailings they would mail out for the selections - of course, looking back I was utterly clueless. You then called them on the phone (yes, the one attached to the wall), mailed a check (those paper things you write the date, amount and your signature - yes, the ones that contain your Full Bank Routing and Account Number on) and waited for your package to arrive.
• China wasn't making fakes for everything like they do today.
• Why the midwest never gets any S cents.
• Whether I should post my 1969, 1970 & 1972 cents on ebay, etsy or even CT. Or for that matter, just sell all of them on etsy.
• Will I ever set aside time to go through this stuff that I've put aside since the 1970s, or are they destined for the Coin Counter machine?

So the coin cup method is fairly quick and easy, so

Here are the cents, by weight using a good scale:
2000+ = 1560 g
1990-1999 = 1047 g
1980-1989 = 982 g
1970-1979 = 477g


1960-1969 = 162 g
1960s and before = 18g (which was about 6 cents)
Canadian = 39 g

I actually really enjoy the design of Canadian currency, and not just their cents. I love the beaver nickels especially the ones with flat sides.



Oh darn, I forgot to separate the 1982 pre and post zincs. I knew I forgot something.

And thus the end of the first (and nice) stage of my coin processing.

 

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So, I thought I would go through the few that struck me as odd, or really cool.

Here was the oldest (non Canadian) coin pulled from circulation
a 1946 D cent.
I think it’s a new Discovery DDO/DDR. It must be because I found it, right ? Isn’t that the trend?



here's is a 1971 D non-not-Proof cent.

You can tell it's a non-not-Proof cent due to the square edges of the rim and how shiny it is. Since it's so shiny, and 49 years old, it must be a Proof. Or non-not-Proof.


This next one I learned a lesson, or manipulative thought technique, from one of our CT posters.

Now work with me. I know most of you will say this cent is damaged, but let's ignore that for a moment and look at the date.


Let's just say it's not damaged for a moment.
Then this date is "27" for the first two numbers.
Then there's a 1 and a large 8.
This is a 2718 cent.

has anyone every seen one like this? Is This is a RARE MINT error on a perfect looking cent that was slightly damaged in the minting process, not afterwards. Thank you, now where should I send it to sell it ?


And the rarest of all

This 1969 inverted 9 cent.

Yes, Fred Weinburg himself hasn't talked up and down about it at every coin show he's attended for the last 20 years. In a 1957 US MInt article a Die Maker didn't specifically talk about him accidentally making this.

Yes, this one, if not *the* one, rare error has the last 9 inverted to look like a 6. So it kinda looks like a 1966 but is, in fact, a super rare 1969 inverted 9 cent. You can tell it is, because, because I told you it was. So here is the ONLY one in the world to be minted.


All other coins in circulation or in collections that show 1966, are actually 1966 cents unlike this super rare inverted "9" 1969 cent. Just don’t ask fred.

 

Now I mentioned my "pile of misfits" that go through a process many would rather not know about. So here they are. Piles of gunk all over the cents and some nickels and dimes.

Oh wait. Yes, I did see those.

And I thus promptly removed the two buffalo nickels to the right. Not deserving of the coming process.

NOTE: This is done outside - do not do anything like this inside, or partially inside without a certified chemical ventilation system.

Even with it outside you can see streams of the chemical reaction (like smoke or a fog) streaming into the air. Also be upwind from this so the smell is blown away from you. I also had a NOISH OV mask for chemical vapors and gloves.

So here is the start of the process, pouring muriatic acid into the zincolns to make them erode at 1:06pm


and thus they immedidately start fizzling


This is at 1:08pm as the reaction really gets going


at 1:14 you can start seeing the copper turn pink.


1:28


2:48


I ended up stopping this at around 4pm after the bubbling was minimal

and neutralized the acid ... which made the copper go icky. I should do something else next time to not make the pretty pinkish copper go icky.

As we watch the bubbling of the coins, we come to realize that now, if they had a mind of their own, the Disgruntled Coins have probably had a reckoning. And we can then do a Psychotic Analysis of them at this point, which can be bluntly diagnosed as, just "Bubbly Mad". ha, a made a funny there if you missed it .. yes, where is that Idiot button now eh?

 

I tried to wash off the baking soda from a light cent with my finger and I ended up ripping off the thin copper plate


But here are the nickels and dimes that will be released back into the wild. They were much prettier at the beginning. Oh I forgot, if you do it right the junk only shows up on the top or bottom, not the sides.


My 1.579g zincoln as the edge is peeling off


the side of a zincoln weight together 0.082 g

 

Of course, don't take anything seriously up above. Nothing is an error, the misfit pile is all junk and the 1969 inverted 9 is well, a 1966 after all. I'll just sit back and wait for that Anonymous Idiot button counter now to flash on my post.

A few ending merandering thoughts

• Any damaged zincoln, whether visual or not, may weigh less than specifications, due to:
• any zinc loss - white powder
• going through any washer/dryer process that may lead to zinc loss
• or any other chemical that may leech into the zincoln and cause zinc loss, thus weight loss

So it should really not be "rare" for a zincoln to weigh less than specifications.

Which gets me to my 1.558g zincoln.

And I plan on showing how to make coins that show "grease fill dies" on cents that are artificial created, and really large and weird lamination peels. Sooner or Later.

Let the roll search begin on those sub 2.5g zincolns errors …

 

Send it to ANACS.. they slab anything!

Hey wait a second.. The General Discussion forum is for non-coin related topics.. Yours is totally related to coins!

 

Say what???

 

after this process .. are these really coins still ??

 

I think this "isolation" is having some effects on people

 

Can you explaine the duck ?

 

FYI, I sorted the coins in Feb 22,
then liquid processed them on the 29th.

I've done this the last several years since it was posted a long time ago about muriatic acid eating the zinc. And since I had some in the geerage for cleaning concrete I figured .. hey, why not. Collectors will love underweight zincolns!!

 

for @paddyman98 ? he went .... quackers ...

'ya hadda' ask ??

 

In regards to the 1971-D.
There's nothing to mistake, as Denver never made proof coins.

 

Coin collecting was so much easier when I was a kid.

 

The sheer amount of time and effort it took, not only to write this, but to do the process as well, is just astonishing. I tip my hat to you.

 

Bravo, some levity in a dire situation. Well done and hopefully got a few chuckles. It did for me.

 

yeah, but you can clearly make out that it was printed on a canadian 1941 quarter

 

Best post of the day award... Hilarious and so true!!

 

I used to use a clear plastic tray like the one in your photo to separate cents also. There may even be a photo of it on here somewhere.

I can also tell you pick up cents off parking lots. I do too. Good man. Free money is free money no matter how small the denomination.