1919 Wheat Cent Underweight 2.86 grams - possible foreign planchette?
Dreverett1
Posts: 81 ✭✭
Hello - Is there anyway to identify if a Lincoln Cent was made using a foreign planchette or if it was just a thinner planchette without sending it in for grading? Would you recommend sending this coin in for grading due to the weight? Not sure if there is a premium for this example. Thanks all!
0
Comments
Well, the bronze planchet, if ideal, would weigh 3.11 grams. Your example, allowing for wear, would have been close enough.
FYI... tolerance on these is +/- .13 grams.
The wear is not that bad. Probably rolled a bit thin. That happens.
Even if it is a bit underweight it will be of little or no interest to "error" collectors. It is not worth slabbing.
Barely under official tolerance – not worth a premium unfortunately
Thanks - I was wondering how you tell if the coin was struck using a foreign planchette? Would the weight help you determine that or do you check for magnetism. I believe on a previous post there was a PDF 69 page DOC that shows there were cents struck in 1919 vs Centavos. I could be mistaken. Just trying to learn how to tell. Thanks
I have a book on foreign coins struck at the U.S. Mints written by Ed Fleischmann. There was nothing made at the Philadelphia Mint in this time period that matches this bronze composition and weight. Rolled this is the plausible explanation.
You would need to get it XRF analyzed to find out the composition of the coin - that would be about the only way to see if it is on a foreign planchet compared to the US 95% copper/5% zinc-tin . 1919 cents were a high run with over 392 Million produced - some thin rolled blank stock wouldn't be surprising.
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Thank you all for the information!
PSA- Unless you just want to collect them and enjoy looking for them, stop weighing coins looking for tiny variances in weight, unless the coin is obviously thicker, thinner or shows a difference in color or size that could indicate an improper planchet of some type. There is NO premium for coins that are slightly over or underweight, despite what you may see people on Etsy or YouTube saying and selling.
I'm seeing this at my table now at almost every show I work, and it's led to some very upset people who have purchased coins with slight weight variances from Etsy and people with videos on YouTube. I recall one gentleman who had a box of over 100 2X2's of coins that were within spec but over or underweight by tenths of a gram. He had written the weight of each coin onthe holder. When he asked if they would be worth submitting and I told him no, he got very upset, saying he'd seen videos online saying they were. He asked if there was someone else he could show them to, and I sent him to one of the error dealers at the show who told him the same thing, causing him to storm out of the show.
Again, collect what you like, but if you're looking to make money you won't do that with these types of coins.
You could start with the weight. There has to be something close that is possible.
Thanks for the info @cmerlo1 - Just trying to learn about planchettes and thought this maybe a good example to ask about. I enjoy weighing the coins when I’m in the mood for error hunting. I subscribe to error scope as well which always has great info. Thanks again!
And then what?
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
AGREE !!!
I make the same point whenever this scenario pops up.
As I like to say, if you want to find errors, don't look at your coins more closely, look at more coins.
If there's nothing of the correct weight, then it can't be a foreign planchet no matter what the composition is.
https://minterrornews.com/foreign_coinage_production_figures.pdf
The Mint Error News website has a 69 page pdf report of coins struck by the U.S. Mint for foreign countries. It is the most comprehensive report available anywhere.
So rolled thin or thick blank stock never comes into play - ever? You are saying it's only about the weight - has nothing to do with the blank/planchet composition?
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
I didn't say it's only about weight. But that COULD serve as an easy, clear screen without needing to do XRF.
You've got a coin that's light, say 2.8 grams. Options are: rolled thin or foreign planchet.
If there is no foreign planchet in the 2.8 gram range, it has to be rolled thin unless you think it is a unicorn: foreign planchet and rolled thin or foreign planchet rolled thick. Even then, there has to be something in the size/weight range.
If you want to play that game, then why isn't a slightly different composition an alloy error?
Occam's razor.
The second easy screen would be specific gravity which also doesn't require a $10k to $25k XRF gun.
Remember, I don't play your game...........
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
What game? That is solid advice. Insider2 would have said the exact same thing.
Apparently you play a different game.
XRF is not usually the first screen that anyone uses for a slightly light planchet. People have been identifying foreign planchet errors for decades before XRF was even an option.
People. Can't we all just.........get along?
Pete
Sounds like you're having fun, and that's what it's all about!
.
whatever happens in/with this thread, THANKS A MILLION for the free pdf!!!!!
Here is an article in coin world on how to figure it out:
https://coinworld.com/news/precious-metals/determining-weight-essential-in-evaluating-wr.html