1974 yellow brass penny? 0

[Ratzie33]

Is this brass or post mint damage? Weighs 2.95 grams.

[Ratzie33]

[Ratzie33]

It says in the article that the zinc copper pennies tarnish rapidly and have a yellow orange appearance 

[Ratzie33]

Raw yellow brass looks like this... also I thought the chemistry experiment trick relies on the high zinc content in modern pennies for the chemical reaction to work, 1974 should be mostly copper, this looks completely different.

[Ratzie33]

Parts of the surface of the penny are also convex in shape, like the material is uneven and pushing out. The lettering as well as Lincoln are not as clearly struck, I believe due to the nature of the material.

[Ratzie33]

Edited October 2, 2019 by Ratzie33

[Ratzie33]

Parts of the surface are convex in shape.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Ratzie33

[Ratzie33]

At first I thought there was copper showing through on the back side, but yellow brass has a “ yellow orange appearance” whereas copper is either shiny yellow when new or dull brown when aged. The orange color showing through suits neither of those conclusions. I’ll have it x- rayed. 

[Ratzie33]

Here is a gold plated penny on the left. In the middle is the penny in question, and on the right is a normal 1974.

[Ratzie33]

The article says the “other zinc alloys took on more of a red orange appearance compared with the gilding metal as the zinc content increased.” Yellow brass has a zinc content above 15 %. I think the orange showing through on the back side is the alloy showing through.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Ratzie33

[Ratzie33]

After soaking the penny in acetone for two hours some of the tarnish was lifted exposing a red orange alloy metal underneath the lettering on the reverse and obverse.

[VKurtB]

Did you ever notice how often these unusually colored cents have damage on them and are corroded? Yeahhhh, me too.

[JKK]

There is no good reason to believe the penny is anything but a normal cent with PMD and crudulation.

[Just Bob]

10 hours ago, Ratzie33 said:

Is this brass or post mint damage? 

 

 

Both, actually. The mint dropped tin from the cent alloy in 1962, so all cents minted from then until the change in 1982 are copper/zinc, which is the composition of brass.

And, your cent appears to have been harshly cleaned, and is corroded and damaged.