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 Replies: 28 / Views: 7,309 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I use the drop test myself. I drop it on it's edge from about a half inch to an inch from the desk and keep my fingers on either side to catch it after it's initial "hit". I find the ring vs. thud to be very audible. (I only do this with circulated examples as I don't have any UNC).
HMMMMM. Now I wonder if the reason you don't have any UNC coins is you bounce them. What do they sound like when dropped from about 1,000 feet?
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
965 Posts |
just carl - I don't have any UNC coins period. Everything I have has been pulled from circulation. I get more of a feel of accomplishment that way. Also, all of my Lincolns were pulled from circulation in Canada, so they have already traveled a bit. I've very nearly got an entire set of Jeffersons from 1964-present from circulation in Canada as well, including the few S mints. I wouldn't consider any of my coins to be "investment coins" at all, so there is no need to handle them with cotton gloves, as that would take all the fun out of letting my kids handle them and examine them for themselves. If they were an investment for me, then, of course, I would have a completely different approach. You may not agree with it, but then again, you'd probably consider everything I collect as junk coins, too, and I'm perfectly fine with that. I don't think there is any need to get sarcastic about things, though.
Edited by Topher
07/31/2007 09:42 am
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
You're right I missed the Pre. Still even if you used an extremely worn copper cent it wouldn't matter. If you take a copper cent and grind off both sides down to a flat blank (to simulate a Lincoln that has been worn almost completely smooth), you would still take the weigh down only about .2 grams. So you would be comparing a 2.9 gram copper blank to a 2.5 gram Zincoln. So a copper 1982 would be heavier, and an 82 Zincoln would still be too light to tip its end of the balance down.
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Valued Member
United States
144 Posts |
I just went through the jar of 82's that I've collected, all from circulation:
52 D Cu large date
7 P Cu large date
0 P Cu small date
4 D Zn small date
0 D Zn large date
0 P Zn small date
1 P Zn large date
Besides the fact that I get mostly Denver mints here in Fort Worth, and few Phillys, this doesn't seem like a representative distribution. Or does it?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Posted - Yesterday : 10:08:32 AM
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You're right I missed the Pre. Still even if you used an extremely worn copper cent it wouldn't matter. If you take a copper cent and grind off both sides down to a flat blank (to simulate a Lincoln that has been worn almost completely smooth), you would still take the weigh down only about .2 grams. So you would be comparing a 2.9 gram copper blank to a 2.5 gram Zincoln. So a copper 1982 would be heavier, and an 82 Zincoln would still be too light to tip its end of the balance down.
Try it. I have. You'ld be amazed at how much weight is lost with very worn cents. Not sure if the loss of material on the edges also makes the difference, but regardless, the weight loss is enough to make a home made balance beam scale just a little to chancey. As I've said, I've put as many as 53 cents in a plastic tube made for 50 and they rattle since the O.D. is also less.
And Topher as to the thought of your coins being Junc coins, I'm not sure there is such a thing. If saving coins for your kids or maybe grandkids, why not give them the best you can? A bounce sure wouldn't damage a circulated coin much, but keeping it as good as possible sure wouldn't hurt either. Sort of like an old car. You expect scratches, small dents but why kick it to make it look worse? You said they are not investment coins. I think your wrong there. Anything you save for your kids is one of the bigest investments you could make. My Dad gave me coins when I was a kid and I still have them all. He was my only Dad and that helps me remember him. Now that is what I call an investment.
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Valued Member
United States
144 Posts |
By the way, I weighed all the coins I mentioned above with an analytical balance. Of 59 coppers, the lowest was 3.03g, the highest was 3.14g. The high weight was from accumulated crud.
I have some copper shells I made by filing off a few bits of the the edge, and then dropping into hydrochloric acid. After a few hours, all of the zinc is dissolved, and you're left with an empty shell of copper (about 0.07 g). I'll try to take some pictures tonight.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Posted - Today : 09:46:07 AM
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By the way, I weighed all the coins I mentioned above with an analytical balance. Of 59 coppers, the lowest was 3.03g, the highest was 3.14g. The high weight was from accumulated crud.
I have some copper shells I made by filing off a few bits of the the edge, and then dropping into hydrochloric acid. After a few hours, all of the zinc is dissolved, and you're left with an empty shell of copper (about 0.07 g). I'll try to take some pictures tonight.
I like that. Never thought of that. Simple idea also. Just file a spot for the acid to enter. This sounds like something I should try. To bad there isn't an easy method to refill those shells with some thing like Lead. Better yet, Chocolate. Then sell to people for a lot of money with instructions to squeeze near the mouth.
Of course this is a much better way to find out which 1982's are not Copper all the way through. Of course it only works once. Sort of like those suicide bombers that could never find out if they accomplished anything.
Post photos.
Edited by just carl
08/01/2007 4:30 pm
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Valued Member
United States
144 Posts |
OK, this is my first attempt at posting photos. In the first one, both coins are hollow. You can see in foreground coin that I accidentally pushed Lincoln's jaw in a little. Image:  2007_0801coin0001.jpg44.66 KB Same coin, side view. I only scraped two small spots on opposite ends for this coin. Image: 2007_0801coin0002.jpg26.11 KB Different coin, torn open. Hydrochloric acid is probably not a good coin cleaning agent. Image: 2007_0801coin0005.jpg55.83 KB |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Fantastic. I like the photo of the one opened up. You never mentioned you had opened one up like that. Now just for the fun of it try pouring in a little Lead. If done nicely and then reclosed if properly you could have a riot with coin dealers showing them a new cent that weighed way, way more than even a pure Copper one. This could be the start of a new buisness. I'm sure you could sell something like that easily. Pennies that weigh more than a Nickel or maybe even a quarter.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
By the way, I weighed all the coins I mentioned above with an analytical balance. Of 59 coppers, the lowest was 3.03g, the highest was 3.14g. The high weight was from accumulated crud.
I too have weighed many cents. I've found some with a 2.97G and as high as 3.18g. Two different digital scales and constant same results. No explanation, no possible reason, but that is what they weighed. Lightest was a 1919 and heaviest was a 72. No idea why.
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Valued Member
United States
144 Posts |
They paper thin, and peal right open.
The lead thing would be cool(or even silver. I could melt some old dimes). But, the insides are pretty cruddy, so I'd have to perfect the process. I don't think I have that much patience.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
That's why the mint has a tolerance range for their coins. Legally a copper cent can weigh between 2.97 grams and 3.24 grams. If you were going to do the filled copper shells I would use lead not silver. Lead melts at a lower temperature than copper. If you tried filling the shells with silver I believe you would just melt the shells. Here is how I would do the lead filled shells. Press a Zincoln with a light coating of oil into some plaster. When that sets apply amold seperation release device,(silicone spray, vasoline, a layer of wax paper with a hole the size of the cent etc) on it and then apply more plaster to create a mold of the other side. When it has hardened shave one edge down until the edge of the cent is exposed. Grind through the plating. This gives you an opening through which the HCl can enter to remove the zinc and a hole where the lead can be pooured in. Put the mold in the acid. When the zinc is gone, let it dry, then you can melt the lead and fill the shell. The plaster molds hold and support the shell to keep it from being damaged by handling. After it is filled and cooled, open the mold, dress up the area of the hole and then a brief copper plating to hide the silvergray of the lead. There you have it, one near perfect lead counterfeit Lincoln Cent, that will weigh 3.6 grams. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I hate to drag out this topic but I just did a little research. I have probably a thousand or so 82 cents. So just for the fun of it I took 150 of as of now not yet sorted as to which is which. I used the better of my two digital scales and started weighing them. I didn't keep track of small or large dates but since most are in at least UNC or better grades I would assume the weights should be comparable. 43 of them sere obviously the Zinc ones with weights from 2.43, .44, .46, .49, .50, .51 and .53grams.
The obviously Copper ones, 107 of them had weights from 3.00 to 3.08 with all weights included and 3.10 and 3.12grams. This took a lot of time since I constantly redid some just to be sure. Odd results.
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Replies: 28 / Views: 7,309 |
First Page
Posted 07/31/2007 09:41 am
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