This is all really most interesting! Thanks for the education! This morning I realized that I had averaged the density range for Brass and was going back to recalculate - you did it for me! Thanks!
Now I have another, related, question: My cheap scale does something with any coin I weigh. I place the coin on the scale and it gives me a weight, and then that weight begins to drop slowly - by 0.01g increments. I have always taken the first weight the scale gives me as the weight of the coin and I have never left a coin on it long enough for it to quit moving. Any suggestions on what to do (besides buying another scale)?
A little more about my scale. I decided to try a time trial on weighing and the weight on this coin dropped from 3.18g (0.02g more than its initial weight the first time I weighed it) to 3.07g. At that point the scale turned itself off. That drop took 3 min and 15 sec. So what do I do now? Do I average the weight range or do I take the first weight or the last one? Does anyone else experience this with their scale?
My scale, beyond the first couple of seconds of getting a weight it does not change it will just turn off. I also make sure a use the reset (tare) between each coin I weigh. Maybe your battery needs replacing? I have only had my scale a couple of months now so I don't have much experience using it. It was only 6.00 on ebay and it goes to 2 decimals.
I'd been wondering about the accuracy of your balance too. Sounds like you did the right thing in ordering another. Realize though that any balance, especially cheap ones, may not have a perfectly linear response. Those cheap ones use a two-point calibration at 0 and 50 grams but most coins are between 2.5 g (dimes) and 27 g (silver dollars). I bought a set of intermediate standard weights so I'd have something to check accuracy close to the mass of the coin weighed.
Quote: I bought a set of intermediate standard weights so I'd have something to check accuracy close to the mass of the coin weighed.
If this new scale doesn't work out, I may be driven to do that, too. Inaccuracies drive me nuts! I remember using the old time balance scales where you had to handle the weights with tweezers so as not to leave any oil residue on them as would happen if handled with fingers. This was in a Chemical Quantitative Analysis course in college, where we were required to be accurate withing 0.003g.
Pleased to meet another that appreciates accurate measurements. These are the basis of knowledge and informed decisions. Those old time balance scales were amazing... the thought and engineering that went into them is deeper than most realize. The new electronic balances are equally amazing. I use a few with submicrogram (0.0000001 g) readability; in these, the sources of uncertainty are mind boggling.
Quote: The portion of this cent which resembles what I have thought of as a "Woody" is the area at the top of the head and the corresponding area on the Reverse. I see the striations as something different than an "improper alloy mix". I suspect that it is related to the process of rolling before blanks are cut. There is speculation in the literature, especially with respect to Morgans, about the cause and mostly seems to be just that - speculation!
I am also curious about the color and suspect it is a Brass planchet, but I do not really know what that means (!)
with all except the last part. It couldn't be brass. The brass pennies came about in 1982. The blanks were put in the electroplating solution. resulting in excessive zinc build up. If the solution was not changed often enough, the blanks became brass plated. Maybe your coin was bleached or some other environmental damage.
I just happened to discover a reference to the Cent from 1864 to 1962 being made of Bronze (95% Copper and 5% tin and zinc). Bronze color, it seems, can vary widely. I suspect the proportion of tin and zinc would affect the color. If the amount of tin is reduced to 0, for example, then Brass results and the color is different. I am wondering if this could be a planchet with a reduced portion of tin (below specs) and this resulted in its yellowish color?
I recently noticed that commonly referenced bronze composition as well (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc). This is confusing. Why not break down the 5% into the specific specifications for tin and zinc, unless the mint accepts anything from 0% tin to 5% tin? If 0% tin, you've got a brassy coin, although not a common brass composition. Yellow brass has over 30% zinc.
A devious way to get a brass-colored cent is to plate it with zinc then apply heat to form a brass alloy with the underlying copper. This would add weight to the cent, but probably only milligrams.
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Posted 04/10/2016 07:44 am
Acid, or weak strike? I would doubt brass.
with all except the last part. It couldn't be brass. The brass pennies came about in 1982. The blanks were put in the electroplating solution. resulting in excessive zinc build up. If the solution was not changed often enough, the blanks became brass plated. Maybe your coin was bleached or some other environmental damage.
