A ? About Lincoln cents metal composition...

[Davers]

Recently I've been referring to my Lincoln cents /cir 1944-1982 some 82s as being made of brass and cir.1909-1943 "Excluding steel cents" as being composed of bronze . I get this info from Coins Magazine in the values section. I've read the so called brass cents are made of 67% copper and 33% zinc . So it seems to me they should be called copper but the early US cents from the Liberty cap half cent to the braided hair cent are referred to early american coppers. Noted in the same magazine as being copper. Just wondering people give me funny looks when I refer to them as brass cents.

 

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[l.cutler]

From 1909 to 1962, excluding the 1943 steel cent, the cent was made from bronze, 95% copper, 5% zinc and tin. In 1962 the tin was removed which makes it brass. The brass cents are 95% copper, 5% zinc.

 

[sagittarius98]

I've read the so called brass cents are made of 67% copper and 33% zinc .

That seems like something that would come from Cointrackers.

 

[sagittarius98]

Years	Material	Mass (grams)
1793–1796	100% copper	13.48
1796–1857	100% copper	10.89
1856–1864	88% copper, 12% nickel (also known as NS-12)	4.67
1864–1942	bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc)	3.11
1943	zinc-coated steel	2.67
1944–1946	brass (95% copper, 5% zinc)	3.11
1946–1962	bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc)
1962–1981	brass (95% copper, 5% zinc)
1982	varies, (95% copper, 5% zinc) or (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper)	3.11 / 2.5
1983–present	97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper (core: 99.2% zinc, 0.8% copper; plating: pure copper)	2.5

 

[boristhespider88]

That seems like something that would come from Cointrackers.

[sarcasm] What?? Surely you wouldn't be accusing (easily) the most reputable coin site on the Interwebs of posting something incorrect? [/sarcasm]

In all seriousness though, that is probably something they would put online. They probably say all the zinc Lincolns are worth 50 cents - $1 a piece .

 

[usandthem]

I think the important number here is the 95% copper that most pennies before 1983 are made of. The lack of tin or zinc before 1983 (except for the '82 zincs) is irrelevent. JMHO.

 

[unclemac]

The mints requested that spent military shell casings, mostly naval ordnance, be recycled and used for coinage, since the shell casings were also made of a brass alloy like the cent. In 1944 and 1945, the mints produced billions of the shell-case cents which, at a glance, looked just like the pre-war bronze cents. However, many had colorful greenish and yellowish streaks, or even thin black lines.
Later analysis showed that the ingredients in the explosives, such as phosphorus and manganese — even in minuscule traces — can discolor the alloy. Even today, most "brilliant uncirculated" specimens of 1944 and 1945 cents show these colors. By 1946, the mints returned to commercial bronze strips for coining cents.

U.S. Coins Change for Wartime

 

[l.cutler]

Actually the zinc and or tin is important, that is what makes it bronze or brass. Copper with the addition of tin makes it bronze. With zinc it is brass.

 

[Davers]

That seems like something that would come from Cointrackers.

Never heard of Cointrackers : I got the 67% cu 33 ninc from another post on T net. Love the chart ,great info to have & thanks for the correction. p.s. I certanly wont be winning any spelling bee's in the future [ good job on that ]

 

[Davers]

I thank everyone for their imformative replys....Davers

 

[sagittarius98]

Never heard of Cointrackers : I got the 67% cu 33 ninc from another post on T net. Love the chart ,great info to have & thanks for the correction. p.s. I certanly wont be winning any spelling bee's in the future [ good job on that ]

It was a Geography Bee. That post was probably from a Cointrackers source.

 

[sagittarius98]

[sarcasm] What?? Surely you wouldn't be accusing (easily) the most reputable coin site on the Interwebs of posting something incorrect? [/sarcasm]

In all seriousness though, that is probably something they would put online. They probably say all the zinc Lincolns are worth 50 cents - $1 a piece .

2001 Lincoln Penny Value | CoinTrackers

They call it a "penny" too.

 

[enamel7]

And we all know that makes no "cents".