1983 cent...copper?

steveben

i found a bunch of cents in the reject slot of a coin star. i have a scale at home and i weight them instead of looking at the dates because my eyes are so bad and it's faster. ;-) anyway, all the zincs weigh between 2.49 and 2.51 grams while coppers weigh between 3.09 and 3.11 grams. so, i put one on the scale and it comes up 2.76 grams. weird... so, i look at it closer...it's a 1983. so, that has me thinking...copper? yes, it's closer to the 2.5 gram weight...but off by .26 grams? that's significant. what's the deal?

Cam40

If you have good ears you could be able to hear the certain type of ring a copper cent makes as compared to a zincoln
which has no ring once dropped.

LanceNewmanOCC

.
check the scale either with other cents, copper and zinc and/or a weight. i keep a 50g weight to test both my scales occasionally.

also, an image of the coin could provide an answer to the peculiarity of the weight variance. getting a weight right in the middle IS odd.
.

MsMorrisine

Yes, possible calibration error

It could be a thick planchet Zincoln

I'd check the scale first.

Shamika

Just flip the coin as in "heads or tails". If its a zincoln, it will have a thud sound. If its a copper Lincoln cent, it will have a quiet ring. Try it out on pre and post 1982 cents to learn the difference and then report back.

steveben

it thudded. it must be a scale error. i'll check the batteries and recalibrate it. thanks!

pcgs69

Find someone with a metal detector