Someone plated my 1957-D wheatie?

Lambeau

Hey i was looking through this lot of wheaties that I bought and I came across this. I was wondering why I would have a plated wheatie and what it is plated with. silver? Here's some pics.

Cameonut

It is probably a light flash of silver. Technically it is called immersion plating. Dip a copper piece in a silver plating solution and a extremely thin flash of silver will coat the surface. This is done galvanically and is not done by applying a current as in conventional plating.

I did this many times many years ago when I worked in a plating lab.

Of couse it is also possible for it to be silver plated through the more conventional process - also common.

BobaFett72

thats funny, ive got a couple of those lying around, same year too!

coinandcurrency242

hmmm..... I was in chemistry class and we rubbed pennies with some fabric then put in under chemicals and it turned gold! Things you can do with chemistry!

Lambeau

It's weird, huh? It's nice and shiny though, oooooooo

Mercfan

I found several such "silver" plated wheat cents in the Syracuse Hoard. 1953 appears to have been a popular year for this type of plating, though one of the coins I found is a nice "silver" 1913.

I also found (and have) several copper-plated 1943s.

Ah, the joys of high school chemistry lab!

tsacch

Balance a new penny on a light bulb for about 30 min.....75 watts should do and then turn it off.....let it cool and you get similiar results.

Man

I got these two cents plated in gold(1968 & 1966)
Also a silver plated dime badly plated the front was peeling off.

coinman420

i currently work in a plating shop and have done most coins just to fool around and see the results. lincolns in nickel, chrome and silver. i think many workers like me have done the same. i have a roosie that is copper colored that i found in circulation. kept it ...i don`t do copper plating at my work. chances are if you find a coin in a different color than it should be it was "plated" by someone like me.

Man

<< <i>i currently work in a plating shop and have done most coins just to fool around and see the results. lincolns in nickel, chrome and silver. i think many workers like me have done the same. i have a roosie that is copper colored that i found in circulation. kept it ...i don`t do copper plating at my work. chances are if you find a coin in a different color than it should be it was "plated" by someone like me. >>



You mean you did one if not all of these...


Thanks for the excitement.

thekingofcoins

Rubbing with mercury is another trick. Not very healthy!

ldhair

<< <i>Rubbing with mercury is another trick. Not very healthy! >>


That was my first thought.

19Lyds

Actually, rubbing them with mercury makes them feel slimey and they look chrome plated. We used to do it with silver Roosevelt's back in the late 50's!

I too at one time worked in a plating shop and the silver we plated IC's with was much whiter in color than the penny in the OP. That looks more like a zinc plating.
And yes, I pretty much plated everything I could get my hands on. I guess its just something guys do when they work in plating shops!

Jdurg

Powdered zinc in a bath of hot lye will result in a grayish-silver color just like the penny in the photo. Silver will smudge and tarnish very easily, and won't really bond all that strongly to the copper if you just dipped the penny in a silver solution. (You'd just have a displacement taking place where the copper would dissolve into solution and you'd get funky silver crystals).

So from my own experience I'd say that penny is either mercury dipped, or most likely zinc plated.

pendragon1998

<< <i>Actually, rubbing them with mercury makes them feel slimey and they look chrome plated. We used to do it with silver Roosevelt's back in the late 50's! >>



That is absolutely terrifying.

Lambeau

It might not look it in the picture, but it is really shiny like a chrome. It almost looks like a plastic coin, though I know it's not. So yeah that mercury dipped theory sounds pretty close.

thekingofcoins

Toss it, if it's mercury. You wouldn't want to be carrying that around.

Hyperion

I had the same question about a 57 D earlier... includes pics

thekingofcoins

I had the same question about a 57 D earlier... includes pics

You coin is not from mercury. It was left in a cleaning solution for too long.

partagas

I have these 2 1977-d cent's that are perhaps plated. They weight .1 grams more then the 1982 coin in the picture with them.

Lambeau

I'm almost positive it's not just a cleaning solution, because it's like actually plated, and the sides are peeling slightly.

Lambeau

<< <i>Balance a new penny on a light bulb for about 30 min.....75 watts should do and then turn it off.....let it cool and you get similiar results. >>




I tried that.... it worked.... but now the whole top layer of my thumb skin is melted on the penny. I guess I sort of didn't wait to pick it up....

CaptHenway

Old thread alert. Some interesting comments on plating coins after they left the Mint.

davewesen

why would state quarters be plated with gold and platinum?

MsMorrisine

@davewesen said:
why would state quarters be plated with gold and platinum?

To add allure to common coins so they can be sold at crazy markups

ricko

I worked for several years in the Printed Circuit industry... Plating copper, tin/lead, gold, some silver... People plated coins all the time. When a kid in high school, we mercury coated coins - by hand, using our fingers... never got sick. Was common then, could buy mercury in the drug store... we would hold a 'puddle' in the palm of our hands and transfer hand to hand - was interesting. Cheers, RickO