View Full Version : [Example] Light Wheat Penny
ikuna
08-20-2018, 06:25 AM
Good morning.
I have eight Wheat Pennies. The all are about 3 grams in weight except for one of the 1944 ones which reads 2.78 grams. Can wear and tear drop or decomposition cause its' weight to that ? Or could it be made of some other material after coming out of the Steel Penny Era of 1943 ?
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enamel7
08-20-2018, 07:29 AM
That appears to be severely corroded, so that's the culprit.
ikuna
08-20-2018, 08:17 AM
Okay. Thanks. I weighed similar coins with this type of corrosion and the weight was not drastically affected, so I felt that the material could be the issue in both cases. ( corrosion and weight ).
enamel7
08-20-2018, 11:40 AM
It's only. 22 grams light and I believe that's well within mint tolerance range.
ikuna
08-20-2018, 04:00 PM
True. Make sense.
Petespockets55
08-20-2018, 05:02 PM
This is a good example of a corrosive substance causing the damage.
Notice the bumpy surfaces, obv. & rev. Along with the light weight is pretty definitive.
ikuna
08-22-2018, 01:40 AM
Thanks for your input. Good point and observation.
jfines69
08-23-2018, 04:01 AM
The weight of the solid Cent is 3.11 grams https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/5112 +/- 0.13 grams https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/5113 or 2.98 to 3.24 grams will be with in tolerances... Your coin is slightly under weight by 0.22 grams... It most likely is due to the corrosion that is evident on both sides... It may have also been at or just below the minimum allowable weight of 2.98 grams... Hope that helps a little!!!
GrumpyEd
08-23-2018, 04:38 AM
Good morning.
I have eight Wheat Pennies. The all are about 3 grams in weight except for one of the 1944 ones which reads 2.78 grams. Can wear and tear drop or decomposition cause its' weight to that ? Or could it be made of some other material after coming out of the Steel Penny Era of 1943 ?
133141133142
The steel 1943 cents were 2.7g so it's in that range and there are known steel 44 cents. Everyone is probably right about it being a corroded copper but you can try a magnet on it, if it picks it up it's steel, if not it's a corroded copper.
jfines69
08-23-2018, 02:27 PM
The steel 1943 cents were 2.7g so it's in that range and there are known steel 44 cents. Everyone is probably right about it being a corroded copper but you can try a magnet on it, if it picks it up it's steel, if not it's a corroded copper.
Good call Ed... I totally forgot about that... Thanks for the catch!!!
ikuna
08-24-2018, 06:31 AM
It seems to be corrosion since the magnet did not pick it up. Thanks guys for all your comments along with suggestions.
jfines69
08-24-2018, 02:31 PM
It seems to be corrosion since the magnet did not pick it up. Thanks guys for all your comments along with suggestions.
To bad... Would have been awesome to be magnetic... Thanks for the follow up!!!
ikuna
08-24-2018, 02:41 PM
Yes. That would have been great. I heard that high graded 1961 and 1964 pennies can fetch a few thousand dollars. Are you guys familiar with that ? I have those in a fairly decent condition. What say thee ?
jfines69
08-25-2018, 04:03 AM
I would be of no help there... I do not really have any kind of collection nor do I buy or sell coins!!!
ikuna
08-25-2018, 07:46 AM
Not selling yet. I am just seeking information.
mustbebob
08-25-2018, 01:36 PM
I heard that high graded 1961 and 1964 pennies can fetch a few thousand dollars.
You are correct in that high graded coins from the 60s can bring big bucks. However, they need to be MS67 or better and those are extremely rare in that grade. Here is a link to the PCGS grading site with their pricing for coins from this period. It gives you an idea of what they can sell for if you are lucky enough to have one of the very few high grade specimens.
https://www.pcgs.com/prices/priceguidedetail.aspx?ms=1&pr=1&sp=1&c=47&title=lincoln+cent+(modern)
ikuna
08-25-2018, 04:18 PM
Thanks. I'll check out the site.