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Never saw one like this before.

J

John - Maryland

Member
Found this strange Penny that I put aside with some pennies I had dug. I think because of the Flat Grey color I figured I must have dug it. Don't know if I dug it or not. Maybe some of you Coin experts can make heads or tails out of it. (No pun intended).
Its Larger than a penny. About nickel size. Last picture shows the grey penny on top of the nickel.
 
with no copper, one is a 1987 d, they forgot to copper plate it..

The 2nd is a 1981 d, this should have been all copper, but it is zinc.

These are not dug coins.

In 1982, some are all copper and some are copper plated zinc's, I check them on a detector to be sure...

Maybe if yours was copper plated, it would be the same size...

Some one was sleeping when these coins were made...

BJ
 
At first blush I'd say it was struck on a foreign planchet (sometimes same suppliers make multiple countries planchets) but it looks like the whole design fits proportionally on it? The zinc cent would have to have been in some weird soil condition to have it expand like that with no crazing of the surface being apparrent. (Plus...it still has full detail.) First thing I'd do is weigh it to see that it conforms to specs (look in the Red Book for that) and if it weighs less/same, what you most likely have is a deteriorated cent that went through some kind of "contained" corrosion process. (Did you find it in hard packed clay?) I doubt that you have something valuable there but it sure is interesting as hell! I work in a large active coin shop and we see it all...or so I thought! When those zincs corrode they usually just have a smaller volume or, if the volume is expanded, they are all corroded looking.

BJ in Okla., The '87-D having missing plating is fairly common,but that '81 zinc is unheard of. What I'm thinking is that the horizontal portion of the seven is possibly a filled die. (If so, the "1" would be on a diagonal axis.) If it isn't, I'd send it in to either PCGS or NGC for authentication. Can you post pics?
 
My guess is that the coin was struck without a collar. That would cause it to be a bit wider than normal and possibly a bit thinner as well.
easy to notice this error when stacking and rolling coins.

Mark
 
Mark, You did come up with the most likely cause. Another effect like this (but doesn't apply here), gentle, slow hammering of a coin through a piece of leather will cause an enlarging effect. Telltail signs of this is a still raised but thinner rim thickness and usually a slight elongation of planchet.
 
I think you're right Mike about it being struck without a collar. I was talking to some today who said that there is such a thing as an UNCLAD cent, a Mint Error. (No copper shell, just a zinc penny) this would account for the color. Still don't know if it may have some value. Certainly is very unusual. Thanks for your input.:thumbup:
 
Here are pictures of my 1981 D and 1987 D pennies.
I checked them both on my CZ 3d in Salt mode and the 1981 D reads in the high coin range, like a copper, but it looks zinc, but on one edge, it looks a little copper, So this makes me think that its a copper that is Zinc plated..
Now the 1987 D checks out to be Zinc on the CZ 3 d in salt mode, So I think its a zinc that never got copper plated...
These are not dug coins, as far as I know, just found them in change, several years apart.

I am not trying to mess with you people, maybe them people at the mint...

BJ
 
I would think by putting the coin between leather and hammering it would cause some marks on it, and also flatten all the raised image and rim, but it has all its "Raised" image and rim, and no hammer marks, and there is no thinning of the coin.
 
Its hard to tell from the picture, but it looks your pennie has not had its edges cleaned up....If you measure the edges of a new pennie and the zinc looking one, are they the same, not counting the over hang of the zinc ????
I use to run big punch press's, 100 to 250 ton, high speed and slow speed ones, and sometime the tool in the punch press would brake or wear out, maybe thats what happened to your pennie, it never got trimmed up or copper plated, and some how got out....Just a guess...BJ
 
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