Expert: Ronald Fern - 2/7/2010

Question
I have a 1941 penny that weighs 3.4 grams seems to made of brass.however I can not find any info on brass except 1944 and on do I have a rariety

Answer
Hi Thad:

I just took this question from the pool. It's possible you may have a cent struck on a improperly mixed blank (more brass than copper), a plated blank, or a blank for a coin from a world country that the US Mint struck coins for. When asking a question, especially with errors, always provide as much information about your piece as possible. This helps to pinpoint what you may have. Attaching a photo would also help. I'll answer your question as best I can. If you want to ask a follow up question by providing more information, I'll revise my answer or add to it as required.

What you should do to help evaluate your coin: (1) Compare the diameter and thickness to a "normal" cent; (2) Weigh your coin to a cent struck around 1941 made of copper; (3) View coin under magnification to try and determine if your piece may be plated; (4) Drop your coin and a copper cent on a glass surface from about two or three inches, one at a time, and listen to the sound as it hits the glass surface. Do the two different coins sound the same?

I found an old auction listing for a 1940 cent and a current one doe a 1952D. You may want to check them out.
http://www.bowersandmerena.com/auctions/lot_detail.aspx?auctionno=13140&sessionn...
http://cgi.ebay.com/1952-D-LINCOLN-CENT-ERROR~WRONG-METAL%3FFOREIGN-PLANCHET%3F_...

As far as value, that of course depends on the type of error and condition of the coin. (1) A plated coin would have minimal value, maybe $1 to an interested collector; (2) A coin struck on a brassy planchet blank, up to $25-$50, or on a foreign blank, $300-$500, depending on condition. You may want to check EBay listings under US coins in the error category to see what these errors are going for. You may also want to check out these links on error coin values:
http://www.coinsite.com/html/USErrorPrices.asp
http://www.minterrornews.com/priceguide.html

You might consider getting the coin authenticated professionally. IGC, NGC, and PCGS slab and grade errors. You would get a better price for the coin in a large auction. Some dealers would likely pay no more than 50 to 60 percent of retail for the coin to resell it. If you live close to a local shop, they should offer an opinion as to it's value and if it is authentic at no charge. Always try and get at least two opinions and try and deal with PNG dealers if possible. Here's a link to find one in your area: http://www.pngdealers.com/dealersearch.php

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Thank You and Good Luck in your collecting.