Expert: Ronald Fern - 1/10/2010

Question
QUESTION: My father showed me a 1961 penny that was bright silver in color.  He told me it was given to him by a politician back in 1961.  The story goes that the mint was considering changing the material that the penny was made of and struck some in this new material.  Have you ever heard of or seen anything like this?

ANSWER: Hi Erik:

Thanks for your question.

I'm guessing what you are talking about is an off planchet error, a cent struck on a silver dime blank. It's tough to tell without actually seeing the coin or a photo. It also could be a plated cent, in which case the weight would be a little more than a cent, and the same diameter. It would be worth no more than a few dollars. If on a dime blank, coin should weigh the same as a dime, and may be just a little larger in diameter (almost the size of a cent), caused by the pressure of the strike and the absence of a retaining collar. This error happened when a dime blank got mixed into the cent blanks when they were being struck.

You may want to check out this link on the Lincoln cent:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_#United_States_coin#  

The cent composition was changed during WWII to zinc-plated steel. In 1974 aluminum was considered. In 1982 copper was replaced with copper-plated zinc. I do not know of any composition change being considered in 1961.

This coin should be authenticated professionally. IGC, NGC, and PCGS slab and grade errors. The value of your error, if real, could be would have a retail value of about $500 to $1500, depending on the condition, and strike.

You may want to check the eBay error listings under US coins to get an idea of what these are going for.

See link: http://www.bestcoin.com/Misstrikes-and-Errors.htm
See link: http://minterrornews.com/news-1-24-06-auction_prices_realized.html

Should you decide to sell your coin to a dealer, remember they will offer about 50% to 60% of the retail value. You would get a better price for the coin in a large auction. Dealers would likely pay no more than $300 to $750 for the coin to resell it. You should always get two or more estimates, and try and deal with PNG #Professional Numismatists Guild) dealers when possible. I'll list the link for you to check dealers near you.

To find a PNG dealer, see Link: http://www.pngdealers.com/dealersearch.php

Please remember to go to the experts site to rate this answer. And check the nomination box on the rating page below any comments you may have.

Thank You and Good Luck in your collecting.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the info.  I measured the coin and compared it to another 1961 penny that I have.  It is the same diameter and thickness as the other 1961.  I weighed them both on a digital scale and they were the same weight(3.12g). I tried to take a picture to attach but it is so shiny, it doesn't photograph well.  I will take it to work and use an 8 megapixel camera and try to get a better photo of it. I don't know if it will help but it is a 1961 D penny.  

Answer
Hi Erik:

The fact that it is a "D" mint coin makes do difference. Your added information indicates the coin to be a plated cent, and worth no more than a few dollars. It is an interesting conversation piece, but has no added numismatic value.

Sometimes similar items are found on eBay. You may want to check eBay listings from time to time under errors in the US coin category to see if items like yours are listed and what they are going for.

Please remember to go to the experts site to rate this answer. And check the nomination box on the rating page below any comments you may have.

Thank You again, and Good Luck in your collecting.