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Coin and Paper Money Collecting/85 US Penny unknown metal

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Expert: - 2/18/2010


Question

Odd Penny
I have a 1985 US Penny made of an unknown metal, kind of looks like aluminum, No luster like nickel or silver, no mint mark, I have had it for about 20 years. The picture I included has a regular penny next to it.

Answer
James,

In mid-1982 the mint changed the composition of pennies from almost entirely copper to almost entirely zinc, with a thin copper coating.

What you have here is a penny made from a blank that did not get its outer copper layer.  With the billions of pennies minted every year, this error is actually more common than you might think.

Current value is a couple dollars.

Dan

Dan Moore

Expertise

My strong familiarity with all U.S. Mint coins, extensive reference library, and close relationships with many other dealers allows me to identify just about any coin made in the USA. I receive regular updates to all the current price guides -- both wholesale & retail -- to provide accurate values. So, with a good description or pictures, I should be able to identify and value any U.S. coin you have.

Experience

I've been a coin dealer since the 1980's and a coin collector since the 1960's. I specialize in U.S. Silver Coins and have an active online website -- The Working Man's Rare Coins -- http://www.workingmancoins.com -- offering information and inventory in U.S. coins.

Organizations I belong to :
American Numismatic Association Member #187770
Michigan State Numismatic Society Member #8255
Florida United Numismatics Member #19710
Monroe Coin Club Treasurer
Lincoln Coin Club Board Member
WINS Member #14
CoinMasters Member #1814

Frequently Asked Questions :
I have created a Frequently Asked Questions page on my website, where you may be able to get an immediate answer to your question. You can find the page here :
http://www.workingmancoins.com/FAQ/index.htm


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