1996 Cent...plated? With What If It Is?

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Author	Replies: 3 / Views: 1,142
Smallcentguy Pillar of the Community Canada 1984 Posts	Posted 11/29/2011 8:47 pm Here is a cent that I have had for a while that has been on my list to send to SPP to attack with the XRF. It is 2.56g vs proper 2.5g. It has an odd gold irridescent look to it. The photo makes it look like copper is showing through but in hand it does not look that way. It looks more like gold with a hint of rainbow. It has defied all scratch attempts so far. It is either made or plated with something harder than sewing needle hardness. Is there a metal expert out there who would know if it possible to add .06g to a coin and make it so resilient to a scratch test? Any thoughts? Sorry I don't have a BU 96 at hand to put side by side with it. Report this Post to the Staff

Ugly Pillar of the Community Canada 1733 Posts	Posted 12/03/2011 8:35 pm There are no plating metals this colour that can't be scratched with a sewing machine needle. Even pure nickel is softer than a sewing needle until it's work hardened and then it can still be scratched by the tougher alloy in the needle. The cent this year contained a little zinc and some tin. If you heat a cent with this composition just until it's red hot, cool it and then clean it with water and soap, it should match this surface pretty close. It's technically a thin layer of brass. Report this Post to the Staff
Smallcentguy Pillar of the Community Canada 1984 Posts	Posted 12/04/2011 10:15 am Thanks Ugly! It looks a bit odd like it might be coated with something but I wasn't sure what it could be. So the brass coating formed could be hard enough to resist scratching...? I am surprised that a cent heated to that degree would not be deformed. This one shows no hint of deformity..... Report this Post to the Staff
Ugly Pillar of the Community Canada 1733 Posts	Posted 12/04/2011 10:28 am It wouldn't get deformed unless some mechanical force were put on it while it was hot (or just after). That plating can be scratched, you just have to apply more force. If it were truly harder than the needle the amount of force wouldn't matter. We used to put cents on top of the wood stove to make them do this. Report this Post to the Staff
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