1942! Steel Lincoln Penny! Never Before Seen, What Am I Sitting On?

Thank you Kbbpll My first guys was a experimental cent, and I will get back to you guys I'll bump this post with new pictures of it on a scale or create a new post if bumping is against rules.

Let's boil this down to the essentials.

That it's not magnetic means it's absolutely not a 1942 dated steel cent. Weight will almost certainly only confirm it's plated/coated bronze. Now if the appearance is such that you'd conclude it's zinc plated, your first scenario would be that a normal 1942 cent went through the plating process at the mint, either by accident or through the artifices of a rogue employee. The second possibility is that this was done after it had left the mint. Now here's where analysis via xray fluorescence (XRF) might come into play. You'd test several ordinary 1943 dated steel cents to see if you could establish just what the plating profile, or signature if you prefer, should look like. If the 1942 is a match for that, then the conjecture that it left the mint in this condition becomes more plausible (although not proven). On the other hand, if there's a variance of any sort, then a post mint alteration would be the default conclusion.

The piece's provenance would also support the hypothesis that it came from the mint this way, but as I said above this'd be almost impossible to confirm, and even then you'd still never be able to know for sure if it was a true error or a deliberately created one.



Experimental coins of this nature should've never left the mint and gotten into circulation. The U.S. Mint has a history of reclaiming (or attempting to reclaim) such on the basis that having never been officially issued, they're thus presumptively pilfered and remain government property.

A crucial detail of which I wasn't aware. A mint employee still might've been able to make himself a "steel" looking 1942 cent, I suppose, but that'd really be no better than one somebody made in their kitchen or garage.

to the Community!

Hello. I came across this forum as I was searching to identify my 1942 penny that looks like its made of zinc or some other kind of metal other then steele or copper.. I am interested in what u have found out about your coin if u could possible hit me up or should I start a new forum on my coin? any and all info is welcome. please and thank u..