Damaged 1912/1919 wheatie and coated 1971-D penny

[JunkLover]

I asked my boyfriend if I could root around in his change jar for old coins and I found a few. Some wheaties from the '50s, nothing glorious there. But one I did find that I liked was a wheat penny from the 1910s. I wish I could specify a date, but the coin itself is in bad shape. I think the damage is from being circulated and from a roof leak from a couple years ago that soaked the jar and a few other items.

That last number on the mint year is what I can't quite make out. I think it's either a 2 or a 9, no mint mark. My camera is pretty crappy, but I did my best to enhance the contract and darken the year for easier viewing. The actual coin is more of a dark grey than copper right now. I tried cleaning it off with peroxide and it did remove some of the stains, but I don't think it'll get much better than this. Can anyone tell what the year is on that penny? Just disappointed that this is currently the oldest coin in my collection and it's in such bad shape.



Also, I found the 1971 penny in my own change jar. All the details look a little fuzzy and thick, especially on the tails side, so I'm pretty sure this penny was coated in some other metal and wasn't originally made this way. But I've never seen a coated penny like this anywhere else. It's weird. Anyone ever see one of these before?

 

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[dw171]

The first ones appears to be 1917. The second coin I believe is just zinc plated. However the government was experimenting with aluminum cents around that time, so I'd check the weight of it. If it weighs less than 3.1 grams, then I might get it checked out. Hope this helps.

 

[enamel7]

The first ones appears to be 1917. The second coin I believe is just zinc plated. However the government was experimenting with aluminum cents around that time, so I'd check the weight of it. If it weighs less than 3.1 grams, then I might get it checked out. Hope this helps.

There's really no reason to check it for being aluminum. Lots of folks bring it up, but they were only given to certain people and no accidentally released into circulation.

 

[JunkLover]

Cool, thanks very much for the info! Or maybe thanks for your two cents on my two cents? (that was awful)

Also, the '71 penny definitely looks coated. I don't think it's noticeable in the photo, but looking closely at that coin, I can see where copper is starting to peek through around Lincoln's head, like the coating is fading in that area. It also doesn't stick to magnets.

This person seems to have the same penny I do and someone who answered suggested it's been dunked in a heated solution of sodium hydroxide and zinc. If I were to expose this coin to heat, it would allegedly change color, and if I had more than one of these, I'd try that.

Just very weird because I have one of those digital coin jars for my silver coins and it recognizes what coins are inserted based on size (I assume). I found this penny in that jar and the amount listed on the little digital screen ended in "0." So it was enough to fool the jar into thinking it was a nickel or a dime, I think. I just ordered a mail scale last week and should be receiving it soon. I can let you guys know how much that penny weighs sometime soon.

 

[JunkLover]

Good timing, I got my scale today! The scale can't read fractions of grams, but the coated penny weighed in at 3 grams. Whether that's 3.1 or 3.0, I have no idea. I wonder if there's any way to remove the coating without damaging the coin in the event it's not coated.

 

[dw171]

It would need to be much lighter for it to be the aluminum cent. It would almost feel like fake plastic money. I've found a few plated cents searching bags of cents. I get excited each time, but in the end its just 1 cent.