Expert: Dmitry Livshits - 3/26/2010

Question
I have many old coins left by grandparents, etc.  My son (12) has taken on an interest.  The 1859 Canadian One Cent Piece has caught his eye and he thinks he may have one made of brass - when he drops it on a hard surface it "pings" and when taken to the local coin shop, it was weighed and was significantly lighter than one three years older (owned by the shop).  The man said it was probably a "fake" and I really doubted his integrity.  How can you make this distinction?  Is it really worth what the book say's it is (if it is brass)?

Thanks very much.

Answer
Hi Drew,
Whatever coin the shop had for comparison would not be reliable, since this type of coin was first made in 1858. There is no such thing as a date that is three years older than the 1859, unless it is a token. The tokens did not have the same weight as the penny coins. Typically a half-penny token would be close, but usually a little heavier.
It's true that most of these that surface are indeed counterfeits, but they are easy to tell apart if you know what to look for.
The real thing was struck, while the counterfeits were almost always cast. The real thing would have fine details, while the counterfeit would be much more crude and irregular if comparing the same letters from different words on the coin.
As far as weight, a genuine brass coin should be very close in weight to the normal bronze types. The normal 1859's do have a range from 4.4 as high as 4.7 grams. The brass ones would be in the 4.2 to 4.5 gram range.
The whole brass variety is just a result of improper mixing of alloys at the mint. Both varieties have a copper base, but the bronze has about 5% zinc while the brass has closer to 30%. The extra zinc is what causes it to be just slightly lighter. Again, the weighing method will not help much because these coins often have variations in alloy percentages.
Also, there are very slight differences in the sound it makes when dropped, but you have to have an ear for it to know which is which.
The best way for me to assist is to look at a clear picture of the coin. This site allows one picture to be attached, but if you would like to send both sides, my e-mail is BetweenEarthnSky@yahoo.com
And yes, they are worth at least the listed value (I assume you are using the Charlton catalog) in lower grades. Very fine or better examples are virtually unknown and the prices would by off the charts.
One last note: Bronze 1859 cents that have been chemically cleaned often develop a brass looking color to them.
Thanks for the question! =)