1969-D plated to look silver/zinc

[Guest]

Hello all,

I stopped by my local coin ship after work tonight and saw an unusual cent in the case. A silver-colored 1969-D cent. I asked about it, and they said the coin was only zinc, and missed the plating process. This explanation would have made sense to me had it been a post 1982 cent zinc cent.

Well, curiosity got the best of me and I bought it....[Did the Denver mint accidentally mix in some 1943 steel planchets in 1969? ]

Took it home and looked at it a little closer....Does not stick to a magnet....the cent weighs 3.3g.......0.2g heavier than normal.....Hmmmm

I now presume the cent was plated post mint by an "Entrepreneur."

Anyone else ever see a cent like this? Is some sneaky person out there getting rich with these modified, plated cents (@ $3 each scam)? What do you suppose the "X" marked on the reverse is about? Perhaps marked by the "Mint supervisor" to highlight this as a mistake coin..... Somehow got out of the mint......

Joe

[jcuve]

It's most likely plated. Overweight, glossy. The x appears to be a scratch

[mustbebob]

I agree with Jason. There are thousands of coins like this out there. Some are plated with Mercury, so you should always be careful handling them. This one is pretty easy to tell that it was plated after it left the mint. I don't know if anyone is making a bunch of money off these, but I wouldn't buy one without significant research as to whet it might be.

[Maineman750]

Your story does prove why coin dealers are not usually the best place to inquire about varieties and errors.

[jcoldwate]

yikes, mercury...

I am going to bring this coin back tomorrow and let him know what he sold me & get my $3 back. Its the principle of the thing.

[LKLive13]

yikes, mercury...

I am going to bring this coin back tomorrow and let him know what he sold me & get my $3 back. Its the principle of the thing.

I have two of them! I like the way they looked... luckily I got mine from the "common date wheat" bin at my coin shop. Mine are 1941 and 1948. I think I paid 6 cents each for mine.

[jallengomez]

yikes, mercury...

I am going to bring this coin back tomorrow and let him know what he sold me & get my $3 back. Its the principle of the thing.

The mercury is basically harmless. The danger was more to the person who would have originally plated the cent because they were exposed to elemental mercury, and consequently, the fumes. The mercury on a coin has formed an amalgam, or alloy, with the copper. Basically the same thing you probably have in your mouth if you have dental fillings. You could suck on the thing like a lozenge if you wanted.

[liveandievarieties]

I'm not sure it's a very good practice to return a $3 coin you knew wasn't what the dealer suggested it was, not if you plan on buying from him again in the future. You made your choice to buy it, knowing what it likely was. Don't be surprised if he tells you he's "Not Wal-Mart" and declines your business in the future. FYI- most dealers don't have a "return policy", sold is sold.

Your 3 dollars would be far better served as an inexpensive education.

[jcoldwate]

Yes, I think I will skip the trip to the coin shop after all and chalk it up to a cheap lesson. The folks in the shop are actually very polite/friendly and I do not believe they intentionally misrepresented the coin. Coincidentally, the owner did enjoy showing me some of his collection of fake cents while I was there....all clearly marked as FAKE.

1) 1909 S VDB (mintmark added after the fact)
2) 1914D (modified 1944D)
3) 1922 no D (removed mintmark)

Joe

[liveandievarieties]

Sounds like your dealer still enjoys what he does and that you could learn a great deal from him. I only said what I did because after spending 15 years of working with the public, you see things from a different perspective sometimes.

With a $3 coin and a little luck you may be able to gain priceless knowledge from your dealer. Each of those coins are fake coins are worth studying, as what can be learned could save you thousands down the road. I also maintain a collection of counterfeits, altered coins and fakes for educational purposes.

[Peter]

Any coin shop owner willing to show and talk to you about their coins without expectations of making a sale are gems. What's odd is that they missed the mark so far off on this coin considering they are aware and have other altered coins. Perhaps you can at least go back to them and tell them what it actually is for their own benefit and not in an accusatory way? I'm with Chris about maintaining a reference collection of altered and fake coins. Having a reference in hand for comparison purposes can be a real money saver and education. Seeing how a re-colored or altered coin effects luster, surface and eye appeal can really pop out at you once it is in hand.