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 Replies: 9 / Views: 3,227 |
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New Member
United States
1 Posts |
Okay, I found a few entries that talked about dropping pennies, hitting them against glass and then letting them fall on a pillow, but since I was a kid the easiest, simplest method is to flip/flick the penny in the air like you would flip a quarter. Lay the penny on your thumbnail and flick it into the air. Get it spinning fast and you will hear the ring if it is copper. Silence if it is zinc. The flick must be solid since that "hit" is what produces the ring if it is copper.
I've been doing it since I was under 10 years old so flicking coins is easy to learn! Great method for ID'ing 1982's. No pillows, no glass, no dropping the coin and losing it!
Oh, and the fun point was that after 1982 (when I was 10), I recall suddening wondering WHY the pennies stopped ringing! Hence my discovery of the blandness of zinc. Edited by Tree63fan
10/25/2008 10:51 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2602 Posts |
 Good advice. Hope you find a lot of useful information and can share some more usefil tips! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Fun! I hear some can tell by sound; I guess I'm tone deaf, lol. My easiest method: a simple jeweler's scale--100% accurate and only takes 2 sec.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3098 Posts |
Or you can tap the penny in question with another zinc penny. If it rings, then it's copper. If it's *splat* then it's zinc. I personally think it's faster than flipping it and trying to catch it.
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Pillar of the Community
Poland
3201 Posts |
Tree63fan, This method does work and it's better - for me - than dropping the coin 4 times on the table before I hear (or don't hear) something.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1882 Posts |
Interesting...will have to try that in a quiet room. Can't hear anything when flipping pennies in this noisy office. And someone walked into my office while I was trying to find a 1910 penny that went to the floor. ;)
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
Flipping it into the air always works for me. In fact, it is 100% accurate.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1031 Posts |
I'd have to agree with KurtS. I just put it on my digital pocket scale - 2.5 grams it's zinc, 3.1 grams it's copper. Much easier than flipping it in the air and trying to hear something when the stereo's playing.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3077 Posts |
i use the drop method it annoys my wife :}
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Valued Member
United States
187 Posts |
Another way to see if its copper or zinc is. You need 1 zinc penny, 2 bottle caps of the same size and type, 1 pencil, and either glue or tap.
Tap or glue the bottle caps to each end of the pencil. Than put the zinc penny inside the cap on one end and the 1982 penny in question on the other side. Than balance them on something. If the 1982 penny goes down and raises up the zinc Than the penny is copper. If it balances out than its zinc.
Theres ways to improve on this method, but its a very fast and crude way to tell the differnce. Also fun to make : )
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Replies: 9 / Views: 3,227 |
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Posted 10/25/2008 11:11 pm
