Expert: PAPAJACK - 10/18/2004

Question
I have a 1975 penny that i got as change at the grocery store.  It looks like it is made out of gold.  It's very hard tho, but definitely not copper (at least in color).  Have you heard of anything like this?

Answer
Hello Wendy,

Sorry for the delay, I could not access the site.

To the best I could find there are no known off metal strike of 1975 one cent coins.
There are a few reasons for the OFF-COLOR of your coin.

There is the possibility, but if your coin is the same size and thickness as a normal 1981 or earlier US Cent then it has been altered. If yours is not the same as a Normal-Cent it has to be looked at by an experienced dealer. They will do this at no charge for you. Just visit a coin show or shop in your area.  If it is a coin made on the wrong metal it is valuable. Get a second opinion, since the mint gets the blanks for the coins from outside companies that supply metal blanks for all purposes. Other metal blanks of similar size can be mixed in by accident.

But I think you have an altered coin. Gold is a soft metal and you described yours as hard.
It is possible someone plated yours, even now the gold-plated state quarters are selling well. But if this discoloration happened after the coins left the US Mint, they have no real numismatic or collectable value except as a novelty item.  
Some other possibilities are:  
It is a cent that was plated with some other metal. (Cadmium, brass, tin etc.)
I have even seen cents cleaned in gold and silver cleaners that change their color to gold-like hues.  

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Good Luck

PapaJack