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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,174 |
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Valued Member
United States
357 Posts |
I have some 1982 lincoln cents I'm going to put in a Whitman book put I seem not to be able to tell which is copper and which is zinc. I have found both small and large dates, but I'm stuck at there. Any help would be great.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4541 Posts |
you can always drop them and listen for the higher pitch noise on the copper ones! Some people look down on that  Or you can weigh them I think the copper wieghs 3.11 grams?!?! and the zinc weighs 2.5 grams. |
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
 that's what I do. John1  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1745 Posts |
I got tired of banging them around. I save them in a cup and bring to work to sort them on a scale.
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Rest in Peace
United States
3039 Posts |
Make a simple balance arangement. Put a known copper cent on one end of a popsicle stick and the unknown on the other end. Place the stick on another one placed on its thin side. If they balance, the unknown is copper, if the known copper cent tips down, the unknown is zinc. I think my terrible picture will let you see what I mean. Of course the best way is to weigh the unknown.  |
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Valued Member
 United States
357 Posts |
Thanks numismo That is very clever.  I'm going to try that. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
3039 Posts |
You're welcome. It's like a teeter totter, heavy child down, lighter child up. I'm using a whole popsicle stick as my balance rod but I couldn't show all that in the scan so I shortened the stick. |
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Valued Member
United States
146 Posts |
easiest way to do it, is flip it in the air... makes a noise copper if not zinc
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1807 Posts |
I use a scale I purchased for 11.00 and change. works great and I don't have to look for the flipped coins I don't catch.
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Valued Member
United States
99 Posts |
Fuzzy pic, but great idea numismo! I'll have to find some sticks and try that out.
Just curious . . . is half of your popsicle stick red because it actually had a popsicle on it? I like it!
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,174 |
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Posted 04/01/2009 09:04 am
