can a 1943 steel cent weigh 3.1 gr and stick to a magnet 0

[leatherneck1967]

[Revenant]

Well.... It should weigh 2.7 grams, not 3.1, but it should stick to a magnet. How sure are you that your scale is accurate?

[leatherneck1967]

Well, I know all my other 43 steel cents weigh 2.4- 2.6 gr and most are 2.5 . I have even weighed 3 - 7 of my other ones (I have apx 800 of the 43 steel)then I would put this one back on and it would stay at 3.1 gr. 

I have asked apx 6 people, no one can tell me .I have been trying ta find out the "MAX" weight of the 43 steel ???.  I was told 2.5 gr but the book says 2.70 g, just like you said. well I will send it in see what they

say .thank you for your reply. I hope some one else can come up with an idea. I know it isn't a"FAKE".   

[Just Bob]

Many of these were re-plated with zinc to make them more appealing to buyers. This may account for at least some of the additional weight.

The tolerance for these is +/- .13 grams.

The planchets produced in 1942 weighed 2.689 grams (41.5 grains), and the ones minted later in 1943 weighed 2.754 grams (42.5 grains).

[Coinbuf]

The shinny appearance makes me think its plated which could very well account for the weight. 

[JKK]

Looks consistent with re-plated steelies I've seen. Seems very logical to suspect that as the source of the extra weight. As you know, the more a coin's surface goes up and down, the larger its true surface area, and the more metal would be required to completely replate it. Plus, look at the reverse, edge, 12:00. See how the plating looks to be chipping away? As an altered/doctored piece, the coin is worth less than a worn but original steelie.

[leatherneck1967]

5 hours ago, Just Bob said:

Many of these were re-plated with zinc to make them more appealing to buyers. This may account for at least some of the additional weight.

The tolerance for these is +/- .13 grams.

The planchets produced in 1942 weighed 2.689 grams (41.5 grains), and the ones minted later in 1943 weighed 2.754 grams (42.5 grains).

Thank you "Just Bob" for your info. I think you have a good point here. You, Jkk , Coinbuf and Revenant may have just saved me some money (what a pun in this forum)

[leatherneck1967]

2 hours ago, JKK said:

Looks consistent with re-plated steelies I've seen. Seems very logical to suspect that as the source of the extra weight. As you know, the more a coin's surface goes up and down, the larger its true surface area, and the more metal would be required to completely replate it. Plus, look at the reverse, edge, 12:00. See how the plating looks to be chipping away? As an altered/doctored piece, the coin is worth less than a worn but original steelie.

Thank you "JKK", and to think ,I was telling my wife yesterday " I know every thing worth knowing", I will not show her this".

[leatherneck1967]

3 hours ago, Coinbuf said:

The shinny appearance makes me think its plated which could very well account for the weight. 

thank you "Coinbuf" for your input !. I think you guys were well worth my investment with N G C. I am sure I will be calling on "YA  ALL" again. But now my "Wife" is yelling at me.

[Ollie3677]

I have a 1943 steel penny that definitely has not been plated and it also weighs 3.1 grams, my scale is correct and not matter how many times I weigh it it comes out at 3.1 grams. all of the other "unplated" 1943 steel pennies I have, weigh 2.5 grams to 2.6 grams but not this one. Any ideas why? Possibly a wrong thickness planchet used or maybe a planchet for a foreign coin?

[Sandon]

@Ollie3677--Welcome to the NGC chat board.  Your inquiry will likely get much better attention if you post it as a new topic on this forum instead of as a reply to someone else's topic from several years ago.  You should also post clear, cropped photos of each side of your coin.

[powermad5000]

Number one, the pictured steel cent looks like it was plated as were many that were either experiments, sales gimmicks by mainline coin sellers at the time, or as attempts to improve the appearance of a steel cent that was beginning to exhibit corrosion and the plating was thought to also impede the advancement of the corrosion.

Number two, and this also applies to @Ollie3677, neither yours nor the OP's weights are in the hundredth of grams. If your scales are only weighing out to the tenth decimal place, then your scales are very inaccurate for weighing coins accurately. For instance, those tenth decimal place only scales round up or round down any additional weight. Do you know if your scale is rounding up or down? Technically, it does not matter because the scale is inappropriate for accurate coin weights. For example, if the coin actually weighs 2.81g your scales could be displaying 2.9g (scale rounding up). If your actual coin weight is 2.79g your scale might be showing 2.7g. If your cent were a little underweight but still in tolerance and have an actual weight of 2.68g, if the scale is rounding down it might only say 2.6g. The point is, the rounding up or down is causing too wide a gap and can make you believe there is an anomaly with a coin when actually it could be well within mint tolerances. Additionally, if the scale is off of its calibration, add that to a scale that is rounding up or down and you will end up with some real crazy weights. I suggest you both invest in a high accuracy scale that weighs to the hundredths of decimal place if you wish to weigh your coins properly.

In this case for the OP, I would say the plating on both sides is enough to give the cent the additional weight to push it up to or a little over 3g.

[Greenstang]

A photo of both sides and the edge will tell if it is plated or not.

[RWB]

US Mint specifications for 1943 zinc coated steel cents:

First issue, to April 1943 -- 41.5 grains (2.69 g) tolerance +/- 1.5 grains (+/-0.097 g)

Second issue, to Dec 1943 -- 42.5 grains (2.75 g) tolerance +/- 1.75 grains (+/-0.113 g)

But -- most planchets were made by contractors and there was limited quality control, especially on zinc plating. The zinc was supposed to be 0.001 inch thick.

[RWB]

More -- Zinc plating (or hot dipped) was nasty stuff. It routinely clogged dies, and the Engraving dept resorted to having dies chromium plated by the Bureau of Standards in Washington to reduce sticking. The areas near cent presses were coated with a fine layer of zinc dust, causing complaints from workers and the necessity of daily cleaning.

The volatility of zinc used in brass ammunition cartridges, forced the 1944-47 mints to have the cartridges melted by contractors rather than at the mints as originally planned. Resulting brass ingots were then remelted at the mints and "sweetened" with pure copper until the correct normal alloy was achieved.