See photo. Is the upper penny brass?

Ogden

The coin sure looks yellow! Is it possible that this coin is brass? It is even more yellow in person. Nothing like the other Lincolns in the roll. How would this happen and does it add anything to any possible value. Thanks in advance.

Ogden

cherrypickincoin

It could be an improper alloy mix but it is highly, highly unlikely that it is brass.

tjkillian

They made brass cents from 1962 through 1982, inclusive. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Bronze is an allow with some tin which was made from 1864 through 1961.

Technically are coins are brass today, but most folks just call it copper plated zinc.

Tom

billboat

I really dislike the lincoln cents since 1982--they don't age well. Just a curmudgeon's opinion.

crito

I've got one around here somewhere, just can't find it at the moment. 1987 I believe it was. Anyway, can't tell much from your pic, but mine was orange in appearance.

mdwoods

I really dislike the lincoln cents since 1982--they don't age well. Just a curmudgeon's opinion.

I agree. Mint state coins look okay, but they look ugly after circulating a while.

Conder101

In the plating process sometimes some of he zinc planchets get caught in such a way that they don't get plated. Instead they start dissolving. This contaminates the plating solution and later planchets wind up getting plated with a combination of copper and zinc, in other words, brass. The higher the zinc contamination, the yellower the coin.

crito

Found it, a 1997-D.

maddogale

Conder hit it on the head on this one. With the "addition" through improper metallurgy, Zinc becomes "dissolved" in the plating, making it brass. I have found several cents like yours with the gold color, kind of neat to find, though not special.

crito

Only one I've ever found and I've got buckets full of modern cents over here... waiting for the day they stop producing them . Some guy was selling these at a premium in one of the trade mags. I think it qualifies as a "real" error, though I don't think any service will slab it as such. I could be wrong, of course

Oh, and Conder is correct as to the cause.

Ogden

Thanks to all who responded. Clearly one of the coins appears to be a normal looking penny (2003) and the other is a completely different color. Deep milkly red, certainly appearing like a different metal.
Interesting coin. Thanks again. I appreciate all the information.

Ogden

crito

Maybe it's the difference in our monitors, but the top coin looks normal red to me and the bottom brown. I did find a post from Wayne Herndon on Yahoo though where he mentions a 1997-D brass cent also, so maybe it's specific to certain dates and mint marks. Might be worth dropping him a quick email.

Brass cent thread on Yahoo

crito

Here's a link to a page on his site with an email addr: Wayne Herndon

wayneherndon

I never have paid too much attention to these but have seen error and variety dealers list as many as three or four different dates, all in the late 1990s. I bought a few one time to see them in person and compare the color. With copper coming in so many shades already, it was pretty subtle. When they were first "identified" there was quite a bit of interest and prices for scarcer dates often got into double digits. The interest has died a bit now and I rarely see them offered. I think I paid 2-3 bucks a piece for the ones I have.

WH

richbeat

There are some from the 1980's as well. I recall seeing 1985 brass cents offered in one of those dealer ads from awhile back.

crito

richbeat is right, the 1985-D is known to come in brass also, which Ken Potter first reported back in 1986. PCI will certify them as such too.

nwcs

I would say the odds of that being brass are 0. Perhaps just a different amount of copper layered on the zinc.

crito

And Potter is currently selling 1998 brass cents in the double digits. He's a board member at CONECA, so I'll use his odds.

crito

Oh, and according to him, the US Mint has confirmed them (the 1985-D anyway) as genuine brass plated strikes. But what would they know about it that the members here don't, I suppose.

coppercoins

Some here are getting the whole thing confused...when someone is mentioning a "brass (insert year) cent" they mean a "brass plated (insert year) cent". I don't think anyone here is arguing that they have a coin made of the older brass cent alloy.

I'm an avid Lincoln cent specialist and don't care one hoot about these. Not only are they common, but they are completely unspectacular. Environmental conditions and certain soaps and cleaners can produce the same yellowish results on a normal cent, and I don't trust a single one of them to be what is reported.

crito

They are not common by any means, and I'd expect a Lincoln cent "expert" to know that. As I mentioned before, I've literally gone through tens of thousands of modern cents, which I have in buckets here, and this is the only one I've found. In fact, the coins were so popular, fakes have been produced, which is probably what coppercoin has seen. The fakes are a very light yellow in color, and there are tests that have been developed to identify them. I suggest anyone interested contact a real expert, like Ken Potter.