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 Replies: 8 / Views: 1,191 |
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New Member
United States
1 Posts |
Well, after all these years, I figured I would post it on a forum. Hopefully I will get a picture up of it. Anyway... Many years ago, my grandfather gave me a large collection of coins..mainly old pennies. In the mix, there was a chrome looking 1921 Wheat penny. It doesn't even seem to wear. It is as shiny as can be with full detail, and looks like it came right out of the mint. Does anyone have a clue as to what this is, and why? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1713 Posts |
Could have been dipped in mercury. If so be careful not to handle it. Please post pictures!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
If the coin had been dipped in mercury years ago it would be black ,, mercury tarnishes Black very quickly in air .
It has more than likely been plated with some other metal ,, perhaps silver.
Welcome to the forum !
Metalman
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Member
United States
703 Posts |
or it could be an off metal error, ( cent struck on a dime blank) but that would be very, very rare and worth quite a bit.
errrror
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
I did not consider the off metal since the poster said in had full details .
Metalman
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1713 Posts |
Didn't know that about mercury, thanks Metalman! Could it have been a recent dip and still look silver? Not that it happens as much with what people know about mercury today.
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New Member
United States
44 Posts |
Most likely its been dipped in something.
I hhave the same kind of coin. It's a 1946 lincoln and looks completely chrome.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Most likely not Mercury and even so, danger is over rated. It has to be injested to be a danger. So if only on a finger, no big thing. Also, probably not Silver for the same basic reason, to reactive with Oxygen and would have some tarnishing by now. Zinc and/or Tin would not be very shinning either. Therefore must be the usual Chrome Plating. This was done to many coins by people in Chrome plating companies where they do things like plating auto bumpers. Possibly, but not likely, Nickel. This too is usually done in plating companies where they plated items like guns.
You could test it by weight if you had a fairly accurate scale. If more than other old coins, it is plated.
Of course it could be a counterfeit made with pure Silver.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Weigh it. If it weighs very close to 3.1 grams it is almost certainly plated. If is struck on a dime blank it will weigh 2.5 grams. If it weigh something significantly different than one of those two then let us know what it weighs and we can do some searching through data on what coins the mint was striking for other countries at that time. Until we know the weight any further speculation is a waste of time because there will be no way to test our speculations
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Replies: 8 / Views: 1,191 |
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Posted 09/03/2007 2:20 pm
