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HERE'S HOW TO TELL A 1982 ZINC CENT FROM A COPPER CENT!

ShamikaShamika Posts: 18,781 ✭✭✭✭
in U.S. Coin Forum
JUST FLIP THE COIN!

It's just that simple. The copper cent will have a very noticable ring to it. The zinc cent will have no ringing sound whatsoever.

Try it on a pre-1982 cent (copper) and then a post-1982 cent (zinc). It's easy and 101% accurate.

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Comments

  • coinguy89coinguy89 Posts: 2,151
    Nice job, I had alot of trouble with these, it works.image
    Scott Hopkins
    -YN Currently Collecting & Researching Colonial World Coins, Especially Spanish Coins, With a Great Interest in WWII Militaria.

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  • krankykranky Posts: 8,709 ✭✭✭
    The popsicle stick balance test is good also and quicker if you have a lot of them.

    New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.

  • LanLordLanLord Posts: 11,714 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>The popsicle stick balance test is good also and quicker if you have a lot of them. >>

    Please elaborate
  • mgoodm3mgoodm3 Posts: 17,497 ✭✭✭
    get a popsicle stick and a round pen. mark the center of the stick. put one pennie on it that you know it's comp. the new ones are quite a bit lighter than the old ones.
    coinimaging.com/my photography articles Check out the new macro lens testing section
  • NoGvmntNoGvmnt Posts: 1,126 ✭
    "get a popsicle stick and a round pen. mark the center of the stick. put one pennie on it that you know it's comp. the new ones are quite a bit lighter than the old ones. "


    Hmmmmm, I guess that's better than using my triple be......, Uhhhhh, never mind.

    Jim
  • krankykranky Posts: 8,709 ✭✭✭
    Yes. Lay a pen or pencil flat on a table. Put a popsicle stick across it so it's balanced. Put a 1981 or older cent on one end, and your 1982 on the other. If it balances, the 1982 is copper; otherwise it's zinc. If you need to do a lot of them, glue the 1981 or older cent to the stick and glue the stick to the pencil so it stays together.

    New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.

  • SarasotaFrankSarasotaFrank Posts: 1,625 ✭✭
    wouldn't the glue add weight?
    "I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my Grandfather did, as opposed to screaming in terror like his passengers."
  • krankykranky Posts: 8,709 ✭✭✭
    Just use a tiny drop - just enough to keep the known copper cent from falling off the stick. It won't affect the results.

    New collectors, please educate yourself before spending money on coins; there are people who believe that using numismatic knowledge to rip the naïve is what this hobby is all about.

  • nwcsnwcs Posts: 13,386 ✭✭✭
    Or buy a scale that measures in 1/100th of grams. image
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  • Schmitz7Schmitz7 Posts: 752 ✭✭✭
    P.S. if you flip the coins while in slabs, the zinc and non-zinc both make the same noise.
  • ShamikaShamika Posts: 18,781 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>P.S. if you flip the coins while in slabs, the zinc and non-zinc both make the same noise. >>


    image

    Buyer and seller of vintage coin boards!
  • ShamikaShamika Posts: 18,781 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>The popsicle stick balance test is good also and quicker if you have a lot of them. >>



    It's MUCH faster and easier to just flip the coin. My seven year old is trying to complete his set of 1982 Lincoln's and uses the coin flip method with great satisfaction.


    Buyer and seller of vintage coin boards!

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