. Steel cents that have been replated will have a "polished steel" look almost like a mirror. They are fairly easy to spot against a non-plated cent. The non-plated cents tend to be more "flat" in appearance and not polished or glossy looking. Yes, it does decrease the value of the coin as it has been altered.
Posted 04/14/2009 09:17 am
I think Rollhunter is referring to the "reprocessed" Steel Cents that are sold through novelty shops and places like Littleton. These coins are actually re-plated to look BU. In most cases the detail isn't as sharp because a circulated Cent was used. The look is slightly different and I'm certain that under magnification the reprocessed coins would lack "flow lines" that a normal struck coin will have. Another indicator would be to check the weight on a digital scale, though if the Cent was circulated this method wouldn't be 100%. I've only actually handled a couple like this, so there may be other ways as well. The few I have seen were quite different in appearance. ~ Jim
