When Do You Consider A Penny As A "red" Cent?

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Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 1,181
Roger Chappell New Member United States 46 Posts	Posted 04/25/2017 9:58 pm I've found many "red" cents while penny roll hunting. When do you determine the penny to be officially red? 5 years after they're minted, 10 years? And what is the value of a red cent? Thanks. Report this Post to the Staff

Crazyb0 Rest in Peace 10197 Posts	Posted 04/25/2017 11:30 pm Interesting question, Roger. "Red" as a designation is usually given to higher graded coins as RD or as RB meaning "RED-BROWN". This is given by the TPG service to coins having the luster quality which hasn't begun turning to a completely brown color. Ungraded cents generally are only called "Red" by the collectors themselves and has very little meaning. I have OBW rolls of 1958 Wheat pennies that would rate a MS64RD grade, they're 60 years old, just uncirculated. Call coins "red" is an arbitrary term, means little for raw coins. Report this Post to the Staff
spru Bedrock of the Community United States 12477 Posts	Posted 04/26/2017 02:24 am There's no timeline for red, red-brown and brown designations. It depends on the coin. "Red" is used to signify the color and luster of a mint state coin, as if it just came from the mint. Because of that, red or RD (as opposed to RB & BN) examples have a premium because they imply a higher grade. However, you can have a true mint-state (MS) uncirculated cent that is brown. It can be tricky but, the more you look at graded cents, you will get the idea. It's a little sketchy at best as far as definitions. In Memory of Crazyb0 12-26-1951 to 7-27-2020 In Memory of Tootallious 3-31-1964 to 4-15-2020 In Memory of T-BOP 10-12-1949 to 1-19-2024 Report this Post to the Staff
T-BOP Rest in Peace United States 18456 Posts	Posted 04/26/2017 09:02 am A red copper cent has nothing to do with when the coin was minted ( 5years, 10years etc.) There are different classifications of mint state cents . As mentioned above Red ,Red & Brown , and Brown Unc. The value of a red cent is always more than RB or BN . However in this one case where a blazing red cent has issues : very baggy , black spots , rim nicks, etc. ;then a RB or even glossy Brown Unc, can have much more value than the Red cent . Report this Post to the Staff
biokemist6 Bedrock of the Community United States 12437 Posts	Posted 04/26/2017 12:35 pm Quote: When do you determine the penny to be officially red? 5 years after they're minted, 10 years? That statement makes me think you are confusing red cuprous oxide corrosion with original mint red color. "Red" in the numismatic sense refers to the unoxidized color of copper as it comes from the Mint. Over time, the color will rapidly or slowly change, depending on environmental conditions, to red-brown and brown(the normal color of an old circulated cent). Report this Post to the Staff
Chase007 Pillar of the Community United States 7516 Posts	Posted 04/26/2017 1:59 pm with biokemist. Report this Post to the Staff
Roger Chappell New Member United States 46 Posts	Posted 05/01/2017 8:16 pm Thanks for the info... I have a couple of rolls of "red" cents that I found while coin roll hunting. What is the best way to preserve them? In an air tight container? Report this Post to the Staff
John77 Pillar of the Community United States 2917 Posts	Posted 05/02/2017 10:41 am Best way to preserve them is in air-tight containers in a cool, low humidity environment. If you have some silica gel bags, those will help keep the humidity away... The designation of "RD" can vary... I have seen some slabbed coins which look full Red, but for some reason have gotten the "RB" designation... I honestly think some graders mistake a deep red color for brown... CRH Nickeloholic. 1,600,000 nickels searched in eight years! Have found FOUR complete Jefferson sets! Report this Post to the Staff
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When Do You Consider A Penny As A "Red" Cent?