Magnetic penny
thatoneguy
Posts: 285
I have this 1988 D penny that is magnetic, it also has an off color and feels lighter than a normal penny, is it fake?
0
Comments
since 1943 and it just popped up?
bob
<< <i>I'm working on getting pics, and I weighed it and it weighed 1kg while a normal penny weighed 2kg, but I have a feeling my scale is off? >>
You're off by a lot. A normal zinc cent is only 2.5 grams.
And yes I'm sure its a US penny, and no its not one of those gag gifts lol I'm not as dumb as I'm appearing to be
Anyways, here are some pictures, it is the middle coin.
Aw shoot, they're rotated. Eh oh well
Serious question....is it strongly attracted to the magnet, such as a 1943 steel cent would be, or does it just barely stick to the magnet enough to be lifted off the table top?
Second thing.... Reweigh it, along with those other two cents, one at a time. We'll use the normal ones as a calibration check. Then weigh all three together. The gross weight will help tell us how accurate the individual weights are.
What type of scale are you using, and how fine is the readout? Does it just give whole grams, or grams to the first decimal point, or what?
TD
When all three are weighed together I get 6 grams. The scale is electronic.
And the coin doesn't stick to the magnet like a steel cent would, it hardly sticks.
Steve
I knew it would happen.
<< <i>My first guess is that it has been plated with something magnetic. A chrome plating, for example, can make a coin attract to a magnet, but chrome would have a shiny grey color. >>
I don't think chrome is magnetic. Perhaps you are thinking of nickel which is mildly magnetic.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
<< <i>You need a more sensitive scale, for starters. Until you know the weight in tenths, it's all guesswork. >>
+1
the cost is very low. look around and i'm sure a nice one can be obtained for $15-20.
the battery in the $20 one i purchased has lasted 3 years and is still going strong
.
<< <i>Did the US Mint make coins for a foreign country in 1988 that used a steel planchet? >>
If so, this could be a valuable penny!
<< <i>
<< <i>My first guess is that it has been plated with something magnetic. A chrome plating, for example, can make a coin attract to a magnet, but chrome would have a shiny grey color. >>
I don't think chrome is magnetic. Perhaps you are thinking of nickel which is mildly magnetic. >>
From Wikipedia:
"Chromium is remarkable for its magnetic properties"
linky
Your photos, cropped and rotated for convenience
... and the obverse at 200%
(reverse pic was a bit too blurry to enlarge clearly)
Looking forward to a more precise weight!
Besides, the OP' s pics still look generally copper-ish, not bright chrome.
I'm thinking foreign planchet as well, as a possibility. Canadian cents have been mostly steel since the early 2000s, but that doesn't help for this 1988 example. Need another candidate...
I would take the coin to a local coin dealer and ask them to weigh it for ya.
Another option would be to take the coin to a Coin Show,or to a Coin Club meeting....
Coin Club Benefit auctions ..... View the Lots
<< <i>Chromium != chrome plating. Chrome plating is not magnetic.
Besides, the OP' s pics still look generally copper-ish, not bright chrome.
I'm thinking foreign planchet as well, as a possibility. Canadian cents have been mostly steel since the early 2000s, but that doesn't help for this 1988 example. Need another candidate... >>
I beg to differ. At Collectors Clearinghouse and at ANACS I saw chrome-plated coins that weakly attracted to a magnet. I am sure that the thickness of the plating has an affect upon the magnetic attraction.
That said, I did not say that this coin was chrome plated. I merely gave that as an example of a plating that could make the coin attract to a magnet.
Not sure when the U.S. Mints stopped striking foreign coins, but pretty sure it was some time in the mid-70's when there was once again a "coin shortage."
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
<< <i>I would not take it to a dealer because most of them will say its junk and then offer to buy it..I would send it in and have it checked >>
A jewelry store may be a better idea. Jewelers will have precise scales and most won't be interested in buying coins.
<< <i>
<< <i>I would not take it to a dealer because most of them will say its junk and then offer to buy it..I would send it in and have it checked >>
A jewelry store may be a better idea. Jewelers will have precise scales and most won't be interested in buying coins. >>
Be careful that the jeweler doesn't do any destuctive tests such as file the edge of the coin with a jeweler's file and then apply acid.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Could this be one of them?
I also saw on Wiki answers talked about a 1988D Silver Penny. I will try an find a link. Hold onto this penny.
Member, Society of Silver Dollar Collectors.
Looking for PCGS AU58+ 1901-P, 1896-O, & 1894-O
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>I would not take it to a dealer because most of them will say its junk and then offer to buy it..I would send it in and have it checked >>
A jewelry store may be a better idea. Jewelers will have precise scales and most won't be interested in buying coins. >>
Be careful that the jeweler doesn't do any destuctive tests such as file the edge of the coin with a jeweler's file and then apply acid. >>
Agreed! That is how they test metal, by destroying or at least damaging the item being tested! Never take a coin to a jeweler!
I have gone to jewelers to use their scales in the past, when I was away from home and needed to have coins weighed (pawn shops also, even).
I find that most folks are friendly enough and receptive to a simple request of "Mind weighing this for me?".
I've never had anyone try to file or test anything, unless I'm selling them scrap.
If possible a precise weight would be helpful. There is also a way to determine the specific gravity of the coin by immersing it in water, I'm not certain of the exact procedure but it might be worth trying as well.
Sean Reynolds
"Keep in mind that most of what passes as numismatic information is no more than tested opinion at best, and marketing blather at worst. However, I try to choose my words carefully, since I know that you guys are always watching." - Joe O'Connor
Much of our work was zinc plating, but we also did high volume in chrome. More specifically, the parts were always plated with copper, then nickel, and then chrome. The nickel coating was partially magnetic (I think the term was diamagnetic). It was also applied in thicknesses of a thousandth of an inch or so. Chrome was plated on top of the nickel and thicknesses were measured in millionths. So for that type of work, any magnetic properties were likely the result of the nickel and less from the chrome.
But who knows what we have here with this cent. Could be nickel, could be chrome, could be something else......
Interesting.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!
The first thing that comes to my mind is... Just how the heck did you discover this anyway??!!
Do you use a magnet on all your pocket change?
Gotta go look for my magnet now.
And CoinZip, I have no local coin dealer.
Also no local jewelry store around, but thanks for the suggestion Staircoins.
And Flatwoods, yes I do use a magnet on all of coins,
And also I'm broke, so I can't go get myself a new scale
Could you take some additional shots of the coin? Different angles, it's side etc?
Is there a design on the obverse edge from two to five o'clock?
I specialize in Errors, Minting, Counterfeit Detection & Grading.
Computer-aided grading, counterfeit detection, recognition and imaging.
<< <i>Thanks Staircoins for rotating and cropping my photos, appreciate it.
And CoinZip, I have no local coin dealer.
Also no local jewelry store around, but thanks for the suggestion Staircoins.
And Flatwoods, yes I do use a magnet on all of coins,
And also I'm broke, so I can't go get myself a new scale
Do you know anybody affiliated with your local high school? The chemistry or physics lab might have a good scale you could use.
Ditto a local pharmacy.
<< <i>And also I'm broke, so I can't go get myself a new scale
Try the pencil/ruler balance scale I mentioned. You should be able to get close.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Here are more pictures,
Coin in question is the middle coin, as you can see it is the same thickness as a normal penny
<< <i>Here's another test. Drop a normal zinc cent onto a solid countertop from about three inches high. Then drop this one. Do they sound the same? >>
They sound the same.
<< <i>
<< <i>Here's another test. Drop a normal zinc cent onto a solid countertop from about three inches high. Then drop this one. Do they sound the same? >>
They sound the same. >>
Well that's strange. If it's significantly lighter, it should have a different ring.
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>Here's another test. Drop a normal zinc cent onto a solid countertop from about three inches high. Then drop this one. Do they sound the same? >>
They sound the same. >>
Well that's strange. If it's significantly lighter, it should have a different ring. >>
That's what I thought too.
Good luck....hope you found something exciting.
"Keep your malarkey filter in good operating order" -Walter Breen
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I disagree. I remember a physics lecture demonstration in 1954 at school. A penny was suspended on a string and when a powerful electro-magnet as turned on, the penny lined up with the field. It was a very weak but real effect. A piece of bismuth was repelled by the field.