Pict. of 1997 D brass I found today in change.

[dogsrmylife-migration]

Hi all again! I just wanted to post a picture of this penny I found today.

[nwcs]

What does it weigh? Several dates in the 90s are known for brassy color but I do not remember which ones.

[dogsrmylife-migration]

i don't know...i dont have a scale.

[cpm9ball]

Pardon my ignorance, but how can you tell it is brass?

 

Chris

[nwcs]

You can tell simply by creating a balance. Place a zinc cent on one end and this cent on the other. If they balance then it's a zinc cent. If they do not, then place a known bronze cent on one end and this cent on the other and see if they balance. Your fulcrum will need to be rounded or a point in order to make an accurate test.

[AlixTCat]

You can tell simply by creating a balance. Place a zinc cent on one end and this cent on the other. If they balance then it's a zinc cent. If they do not, then place a known bronze cent on one end and this cent on the other and see if they balance. Your fulcrum will need to be rounded or a point in order to make an accurate test.

 

uh, yes. But what if you have a cent you THINK is zinc and it turns out they are both brass? !

 

Also, cents in the past were made from bronze, not brass. When did they start making a few here and there out of brass and WHY?

 

Jonathan

[AlixTCat]

Did I not phrase the question correctly?

When did they start making brass/bronze cents while current production is the zinc planchet? Do they find left over planchets from pre-1982 and just dump them in the hopper?

 

Jonathan