JoeyJoeJo Posted October 16 Share Posted October 16 I think I have an 1943-S Wheat penny that was struck on a 1943 (non S) experimental planchet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie15 Posted October 16 Share Posted October 16 Please explain why you think this. thank you Sandon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandon Posted October 16 Share Posted October 16 Welcome to the NGC chat board. Just because a coin is slightly overweight is not indicative of its being anything special. According to my Coin World Almanac, the standard weight for 1943 zinc coated steel cents was either 2.689 or 2.754 grams depending on when the planchets were produced, with a tolerance of plus or minus 0.13 gram, so your coin could have weighed as much as 2.884 grams and been within tolerance. Assuming that your scale is accurate, the most likely explanation is that the planchet stock from which this coin's planchet was punched was slightly thicker than normal. Remember that these coins were wartime, emergency issues made from cheap materials, so there was no particular concern that they conform exactly to standards. Do you have any documentation supporting that there were "experimental planchets" for 1943 steel cents that weighed around 3.07 grams? If such planchets were made at the Philadelphia mint, how did they get to San Francisco? JoeyJoeJo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coinbuf Posted October 16 Share Posted October 16 On 10/16/2024 at 1:49 PM, JoeyJoeJo said: I think I have an 1943-S Wheat penny that was struck on a 1943 (non S) experimental planchet. I'm having a tough time following your line of thought. Are you saying that an experimental planchet from the Philadelphia mint was shipped to SF? Or that a SF die was used on an experimental planchet at the Philadelphia mint? I too would be interested in seeing your research too prove that there was an experimental planchet at any mint location at the time this coin was struck. The more likely scenarios are that your scale is not properly calibrated, and/or the coin has been plated or painted. Either of these explanations is far more plausible than your claim. But if you have the extraordinary evidence to prove your extraordinary claim I'm all ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyJoeJo Posted October 16 Author Share Posted October 16 This information came from PCGS coinfacts. 1943 experimental planchet, 91.7% copper, 7.5% zinc, 0.8 silver Mented in Philadelphia Weight 3.08. Standard 1943 peny weight....2.7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyJoeJo Posted October 16 Author Share Posted October 16 On 10/16/2024 at 5:03 PM, Coinbuf said: I'm having a tough time following your line of thought. Are you saying that an experimental planchet from the Philadelphia mint was shipped to SF? Or that a SF die was used on an experimental planchet at the Philadelphia mint? I too would be interested in seeing your research too prove that there was an experimental planchet at any mint location at the time this coin was struck. The more likely scenarios are that your scale is not properly calibrated, and/or the coin has been plated or painted. Either of these explanations is far more plausible than your claim. But if you have the extraordinary evidence to prove your extraordinary claim I'm all ears. all information can be found (PCGS) coinfacts within the app. Im a not sure if you have to have a membership to use the (PCGS) coin fact or not being i am a member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyJoeJo Posted October 16 Author Share Posted October 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyJoeJo Posted October 16 Author Share Posted October 16 Now that you guys have the 2 PCGS screen shots with the information, now what gentlemen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyJoeJo Posted October 16 Author Share Posted October 16 The information from PCGS has been shown now can someone who is knowledgeable about this please help because it truly seems that this is a 1943-S (experimental planchet) wheat penny as the experimental 1943 planchet is not suppose to have an (S) from Sanfran on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l.cutler Posted October 16 Share Posted October 16 Yours certainly looks like a steel planchet, does it stick to a magnet? That will answer it in a hurry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyJoeJo Posted October 16 Author Share Posted October 16 Yes, it does look steel, yes it sticks to a magnet and yes scale is calibrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l.cutler Posted October 16 Share Posted October 16 If it sticks to a magnet it certainly isn’t 91.7% copper like the experimental coin you posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandon Posted October 17 Share Posted October 17 On 10/16/2024 at 6:37 PM, JoeyJoeJo said: 91.7% copper, 7.5% zinc, 0.8 silver On 10/16/2024 at 7:02 PM, JoeyJoeJo said: yes it sticks to a magnet A coin composed of these metals would not stick to a magnet. A coin composed largely of steel does. Try holding a magnet to a silver, copper, or zinc coin! PCGS Coinfacts has no images of such a coin, which is described without explanation as an "experimental shell case" alloy, presumably for post-1943 coinage, but a 91.7% copper cent would likely look much like a 95% copper cent, not just like a normal zinc coated steel cent. At least part of the reason the coinage of the steel pieces didn't continue for the duration of the war was their unsatisfactory appearance--too much like dimes when new, ugly once circulated. PCGS does not list this or any other "experimental" alloy for the 1943-S. The most likely explanations for the coin being slightly overweight, such as those we have given here, are also most likely the correct ones. Rare things are indeed rare, and it is not rational to jump to the most unlikely conclusion based on scant evidence. If you remain convinced based upon a weight deviation of a small fraction of a gram that you have a rare and valuable coin, then by all means submit it to PCGS or another reputable third-party grading service of your choice. Please let us know how your submission turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J P M Posted October 17 Share Posted October 17 (edited) On 10/16/2024 at 7:02 PM, JoeyJoeJo said: Yes, it does look steel, yes it sticks to a magnet and yes scale is calibrated. Your coin looks to be just an overweight steel cent. 1943-S 1C (Regular Strike) Lincoln Cent (Wheat Reverse) - PCGS CoinFacts Edited October 17 by J P M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coinbuf Posted October 17 Share Posted October 17 On 10/16/2024 at 3:39 PM, JoeyJoeJo said: all information can be found (PCGS) coinfacts within the app. Im a not sure if you have to have a membership to use the (PCGS) coin fact or not being i am a member. Great, however now that you have told us more and we now know the coin sticks to a magnet that totally proves the coin you have cannot be an experimental planchet. That only leaves the two possibilities that I outlined above. If you are convinced your scale is accurate, then the only possibility is a normal steel cent that has been plated or painted. JT2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powermad5000 Posted October 17 Share Posted October 17 Hello and welcome to the forum! Being you have a cheap pocket scale from China, I cannot accept the weight you have given here for this cent. These scales even after saying PASS after calibration can be wildly inaccurate. Please place a nickel on the scale and send us a picture of the nickel on the scale also showing the given weight please. JT2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VKurtB Posted October 18 Share Posted October 18 On 10/16/2024 at 5:58 PM, JoeyJoeJo said: The information from PCGS has been shown now can someone who is knowledgeable about this please help because it truly seems that this is a 1943-S (experimental planchet) wheat penny as the experimental 1943 planchet is not suppose to have an (S) from Sanfran on it. I just don’t know how to adequately deal with this much lack of logic or knowledge. My mind stands boggled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
