1982-D 3.11g penny vs 2.51g… small or large?? 1 1

[Haydeen]

The top one is the 2.51g penny. 
The bottom two are 3.06g (left) and 3.11g (right) 

I cannot for the life of me tell if the bottom 2 are large or small. I’m assuming large, but just in case one of them IS small date… I figured I’d post it. 
 

Also, it’s the 3.1g 1982-D Sm Dt. cents I should be looking out for, right? The 2.51g one isn’t worth anything? 

[l.cutler]

All of these are large date, they are actually very easy to tell apart. I always look first at the distance of the 2 from the rim and the shape of the 2. 

[powermad5000]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

To start, you need to crop your photos much better than this. You images are mostly background and least coin. It makes it hard for us with old eyes to see what you have.

I used my phone to take a pic of your top pic and all three are large date.

The "unicorn" you are referring to is the 1982 D small date bronze transitional, of which only two have been found. It would weigh between 3.05-3.08g (possibly less if it is worn heavily) which were the given weights of the two found in AU. I do note, your scale is one of the cheaper pocket scales which in my opinion are not accurate, and the calibration of which are consistently questionable. 2.5g are zinc core, and 3.11g are the bronze.

As far as your question on worth, any of these circulation cents which were minted in the numbers of billions are going to be worth at or near face value. The only one "worth" any premium is the "unicorn". And there is probably hundreds of thousands of people looking for a third which in my humble opinion is not going to ever be found.

[cobymordet]

On 4/15/2024 at 10:29 PM, powermad5000 said:

And there is probably hundreds of thousands of people looking for a third which in my humble opinion is not going to ever be found.

LOL, Cheer up buckaroo! You;ll get the prize! Ya just gotta keep diggin'!

[Haydeen]

On 4/15/2024 at 8:29 PM, powermad5000 said:

Hello and welcome to the forum!

To start, you need to crop your photos much better than this. You images are mostly background and least coin. It makes it hard for us with old eyes to see what you have.

I used my phone to take a pic of your top pic and all three are large date.

The "unicorn" you are referring to is the 1982 D small date bronze transitional, of which only two have been found. It would weigh between 3.05-3.08g (possibly less if it is worn heavily) which were the given weights of the two found in AU. I do note, your scale is one of the cheaper pocket scales which in my opinion are not accurate, and the calibration of which are consistently questionable. 2.5g are zinc core, and 3.11g are the bronze.

As far as your question on worth, any of these circulation cents which were minted in the numbers of billions are going to be worth at or near face value. The only one "worth" any premium is the "unicorn". And there is probably hundreds of thousands of people looking for a third which in my humble opinion is not going to ever be found.

My scale is actually not cheap at all, and it’s fairly accurate. It has the 50.00g weight that I use to calibrate every time. They say to use scales that weigh to at least a tenth (0.1) so I would say that my scale is pretty good….

[J P M]

On 4/20/2024 at 4:51 AM, Haydeen said:

My scale is actually not cheap at all, and it’s fairly accurate. It has the 50.00g weight that I use to calibrate every time. They say to use scales that weigh to at least a tenth (0.1) so I would say that my scale is pretty good….

I have a scale just like yours Haydeen and it works fine. The coins are never the same weight all the time they can go up or down. I roll hunt all the time looking for nice coins to fill coin folders because I like doing it and finding an error coin is like trying to win Powerball. It is not easy to know what to look for even if you find some minor pieces it is still fun. Just don't expect to find the unicorn in your pocket. We had a post of a 92 CAM last week so yes there are some keepers still, but the odds are very high on not finding them. 

Edited April 20 by J P M

[powermad5000]

On 4/20/2024 at 3:51 AM, Haydeen said:

They say to use scales that weigh to at least a tenth (0.1) so I would say that my scale is pretty good….

You need scales that weigh to 0.01g. Scales that weigh to 0.1g will either round up or down depending on the weight of the item which isn't helpful for weighing coins.

Also keep in mind a scale that has lost accuracy will weigh the calibration weight and say PASS but still gives incorrect weights.

The scale I use is so accurate and sensitive that you need to turn off the fans in the room and also the heat or AC as well. It can read the air movement of your hand passing by or your breathing. I use the wind shield it came with to get 100% accurate weights.

Edited April 20 by powermad5000

[Haydeen]

On 4/20/2024 at 11:19 AM, powermad5000 said:

You need scales that weigh to 0.01g. Scales that weigh to 0.1g will either round up or down depending on the weight of the item which isn't helpful for weighing coins.

Also keep in mind a scale that has lost accuracy will weigh the calibration weight and say PASS but still gives incorrect weights.

The scale I use is so accurate and sensitive that you need to turn off the fans in the room and also the heat or AC as well. It can read the air movement of your hand passing by or your breathing. I use the wind shield it came with to get 100% accurate weights.

Wowie, what scale is that?? 

[powermad5000]

On 4/22/2024 at 6:47 AM, Haydeen said:

Wowie, what scale is that??

It's a little overboard for weighing coins, but it is a lab scale. I wanted totally 100% accurate weights when I do have the need to weigh coins so I went big.