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 Replies: 25 / Views: 4,834 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1903 Posts |
Here is the dilemma...cobalt, nickel, and iron are the only magnetic ( in the traditional sense ) elements one would easily run across. Of those three, iron is the only one that would jump to a magnet commonly available. For nickel or cobalt to jump to a magnet you would need something on the order of an MRI machine. That being said....plating something in iron is exceedingly difficult as well as toxic. Why someone would plate anything in iron would be for a very lucrative purpose. This begs the question...did someone go through the tremendous effort to plate a 1940 cent to make someone think it was an early prototype of the 1943 steel? If so it would be easier to just stamp or cast one. There are just so many things that point away from it being steel plated, but it is what it is...the only logical story I can whip up that is even remotely logical is that whomever had this coin plated in iron most likely worked in a factory that iron plated copper heating elements (the only common use of iron plating) as an experiment/novelty. Interesting piece.  Edited by unholyroller
11/09/2013 8:53 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1053 Posts |
Plated for sure. I had a 1962 plated penny. (the coin that brought me here(my username))
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2311 Posts |
Could the cent be mercury plated? Mercury sticks to a magnet as well.
It was very popular back then when people played with mercury.
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
I already posted that,I guess you missed it.I also thought maybe chrome plating? John1 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2311 Posts |
Haha yeah I see @John.
You posted on the bottom where I missed it.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Lots of possibilities though. Could be a Cent made in China out of Steel. Appears to be excessively glossy as if Chromed or polished with a metal polish or just a recent Stainless Steel. Oddly the details are sharp which is unusual for a plated coin of any type. Good examples are the plated 1943 Cents where the lettering and numbers show a blobbish effect. The amount of anything plated on this coin would have to be significent enough to make the coin jump to a magnet. Also, note how reflective this coin is where it shows a reflection of the fingers holding it. Also, nice clean fingers too. Actually should not use fingers to handle this coin. If steel, and not of a good quality, may start to get finger prints embedded on the metal. Another possibility is beings from another planet are stariting to make US coins. This would be helpfull for a monitary invasion. They could make lots of our Cents and take over the entire planet by flooding it with coins. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Quote:
For nickel or cobalt to jump to a magnet you would need something on the order of an MRI machine. No, pure nickel is almost as magnetic as iron. (check out the 1969 to 1981 Canadian five cent through 50 cent pieces. They are pure nickel and will JUMP to an ordinary magnet, doesn't even have to be a rare earth magnet.) A heavy nickel plating might be enough to get the coin to jump. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1903 Posts |
Conder...again...I learned something new. I had a pile of Canadian nickels I found CRHing and sure enough...ran a magnet over them and pop...up jumped a 1975. My guess then is that this coin has a heavy nickel plating on it...which nickel plates very easily onto copper. As often said, the simplest explanation is usually the right one. And here comes my OCD on being factual....after finding out I was wrong about nickel...I looked up mercury as another poster mentioned....and mercury is only magnetic at cryogenically low temperatures...not room temp.
Edited by unholyroller
11/11/2013 8:37 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
A nickel plating also often has a shiny chrome like appearance.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36832 Posts |
Looks like Mercury. As kids in the 1950's we did many like that by breaking thermometers and rubbing the Mercury on the coin. Made them look chrome plated. I should be dead or growing a third eye by now so guess the Mercury wasn't as toxic as we think now.
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Replies: 25 / Views: 4,834 |
First Page
Posted 11/09/2013 10:16 pm
