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 Replies: 23 / Views: 707 |
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
Found this one in my change this past month. Am I correct in my labeling? Or is it Incomplete Plating?   |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
61718 Posts |
Looks like a heated coin with a lighter. Just a damaged coin now.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
11321 Posts |
Possibility of the obverse being exposed briefly to extreme heat--perhaps a hobby-grade torch.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
49422 Posts |
 We get this question a few times every year. Some say a cigarette lighter some say a plating issue. I think one of the TPGs have slabbed a sample. I think it is a plating issue. If I was you, I would put it in a 2x2 holder just in case. John1 
( I'm no pro, it's just my humble opinion )
Searched 6.5 +/- Million Cents Since 1971
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
I saw a graded nickel that looked similar (colors were opposite) But it sold for $125. It was highlighted by Couch Collectables yesterday on Instagram.
I recently took coins and heated them up with a Bic lighter and a small hobby torch and the effects were no where near what this coin shows. There was always other discoloration that appeared. The copper darkened to a red color and also show a pinkish/purple luster.
I will update with later pics of my flamed experimentation.
Edited by Numismax
01/25/2023 3:45 pm
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
@John1 Quote:
I would put it in a 2x2 holder just in case. I have. Only took it out for picture taking. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3045 Posts |
As John stated above. This is a plating problem. I have 30 or 40 of them that came out of string rolls in 95. People here seem to think there are a lot of cigarette lighters still around and people heat them up and throw a coin on them as if that low of heat will disintegrate the copper plating and not the zinc. As for the nickels, there are annealing problems on some. I think they are mostly in the late 50s.
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
Thanks Cujohn I've spent far too long trying to upload the photos of the test pieces involving heat but have not been able to upload more pics for the last 2hrs for whatever reason. See thread http://goccf.com/t/438223 for my problem If the others were more familiar with heated coins. It should be pretty plain to see this isn't the case. At least not in my testing. I will still upload the images once I get the uploading issue resolved. The nickel I mentioned was a 2004 Edited by Numismax
01/25/2023 6:24 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
15715 Posts |
Lincoln cents are now electroplated not annealed.
But as Cujohn states - it is a plating issue.
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
I'd like to know if there's any value with this improper plating issue? Below are some examples of coins I experimented with to try and replicate what the first 2 responders said it was. First is one done through heat transfer. I stood a bolt on end and placed the penny on top. Then heated the base of the bolt until I saw the slightest color change. The damage you see happened during the cooling process.   Next penny I created by holding it above a Bic lighter with the flame about .25" away from the center of the cent. I stopped as soon as I noticed the copper plating vanish. As seen here, the coin has changed to a more golden hue and the plating vanished from the field quicker than the relief. Where it's thicker. Hard to tell in the pics but there is slight pink-violet "toning" to the area of exposed zinc and copper plating.   Third up is one I used a Hobbyist torch. This one was held away in the same fashion as the Bic lighter. Here you can see again, most of the removed copper plating took place in the field rather than centered over Lincoln, where the flame was concentrated. You can also see some of the copper plating removed from the reverse as well as the whole coin is discolored.   Lastly, this one was torched as well with the hobbyist torch. This time held with the flame kissing the coin for a second until the slightest color change. This time we got a little bit more centralized copper removal over the relief. However there is still major discoloration/"toning" to the entire coin and between the pillars on the reverse.   And all of them together on the reverse to show the color change throughout all of them. The far left is an untouched run of the mill Lincoln cent.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4756 Posts |
This it is not electroplating default. the heat on coins can come from different sources and at different intensities and also different kind of heat. The color of the zinc it is a heat zinc and not as it is in rolls before plating. The coin show a progression of the color transformation also on the Cu which it is from heat source. On this coin the heat was from bottom to up and more concentrate middle left. No such Cu small bulbs will be on fail electroplating.
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
Silviosi, thank you for your response. What does "Cu" stand for?
And what coin are you referring to when you say the heat came from the bottom up? How would you go about recreating what is displayed in the first post? There is no progression color transformation on the original coin posted and zero discoloration on the reverse. Which I think would be impossible if there was a heat source on that side. Color transformation from heat will go from copper (original plating) - yellow - zinc with pinkish hue at the edges of the yellow and zinc. Something the original coin shows no sign of. No matter what angle it's viewed from.
What other forms of heat should I experiment with? Electricity? A slower lower heat from heat transfer? Should I lay it on top of my wall heater for a week? Maybe a heat gun? Would it be possible to get a heat gun hot enough to remove the copper plating? Even if it would be, I would think I would need to concentrate the airflow with something like a funneled tip. Otherwise the flow would be to broad and encompass the entire coin.
Just trying to wrap my brain around the whole "it was caused by heat" stigma. Because if that were the case. We should be able to find a way to recreate it. I'm willing to try just about anything within my abilities.
Edited by Numismax
01/26/2023 12:30 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
4756 Posts |
Cu stand for cooper and Zn stand for zinc (proprieties base of in periodic tables of Mendeleev). Natural color of the Zn is grey bluish. After mill it is very shiny and the blanks of Zn are shiny. When heat below 400 deg Celsius (419 deg is melting point) due to the ZnO (zinc oxide) become yellow and when become cool will go back to the natural state color which it is grey bluish. This it is the color of your original coin photo. If was not plated was suppose to be white gray.
Enough, I will not made here a course in metallurgical chemistry.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
49422 Posts |
I am surprised the coin did not just melt away using anything other a bic lighter. I remember when the zinc cents first came out, I used a plumbers propane torch and the coin vaporized away. John1 ( I'm no pro, it's just my humble opinion )
Searched 6.5 +/- Million Cents Since 1971
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3045 Posts |
Numismax, Nice you are doing experiments. Now you see how heat damages plated cents. As Silviosi stated the melting point for zinc is almost 800 degrees f. It would be almost imposable to heat a zincoln and keep it at a point to melt the copper plaiting off of a coin without going too far and melting the zinc. You need just enough heat to expand the zinc core enough to crack the copper plating so it falls off.
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
Quote:
You need just enough heat to expand the zinc core enough to crack the copper plating so it falls off. Which, to me at least, would be impossible without the copper layer showing signs of discoloration from being heated.
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Replies: 23 / Views: 707 |
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Posted 01/25/2023 3:11 pm
