Expert: Jim Lawniczak - 4/17/2007

Question
I got a 2004 gold colored penny in my change today. I looked
for any info on this coin but couldn't find anything.It doesn't have a mint mark. Thanks for any help,Harold

Answer
Harold, the only thing I can think of is that someone may have "painted" the cent after it was minted.  Can you see any evidence of this on the piece?  There is no gold colored blank that could have been used by mistake at the mint that would be anywhere near the correct size of a cent.  Is your piece the correct diameter for a cent (check by putting it on top of another cent)?  If you really want to be sure, you should show it to an expert at a coin shop or a coin show.