Message Board

---

Re: 1966 "silver" Lincoln cent

Posted by JeffK on March 05, 2009 at 17:43:15:

In Reply to: 1966 posted by BChap on March 05, 2009 at 08:14:45:

It's a 99.9999% certainty you have a coin that was plated for some reason, maybe for use in jewelry or as a high-school chemistry experiment.

The U.S. has of course never made a silver cent because it would contain more silver than a dime. All 1966 cents were struck in bronze and weigh about 3.11 grams. If you can weigh it on a sensitive scale, or make a good old Popsicle-stick balance and compare it to another pre-1982 cent(*), you can see if it comes in at that weight.

(*) Cents made since mid-1982 are copper-plated zinc and weigh only 2.5 gm so they can't serve as an accurate comparison.

: In an old box of my Dad's thing is what appears to be a silver Lincoln cent, dated 1966. It is F to VF (in my opinion)...anyway, I am trying to determine the origin and potential value.

Follow Ups:

• Re: 1966 "silver" Lincoln cent Michael Schmidt 15:02:50 03/10/09 (0)

Post a Followup

Name    : 
E-Mail  : 
Subject : 

Comments:
: It's a 99.9999% certainty you have a coin that was plated for some reason, maybe for use in jewelry or as a high-school chemistry experiment. 

: The U.S. has of course never made a silver cent because it would contain more silver than a dime. All 1966 cents were struck in bronze and weigh about 3.11 grams.  If you can weigh it on a sensitive scale, or make a good old Popsicle-stick balance and compare it to another pre-1982 cent(*), you can see if it comes in at that weight.

: (*) Cents made since mid-1982 are copper-plated zinc and weigh only 2.5 gm so they can't serve as an accurate comparison.

: : In an old box of my Dad's thing is what appears to be a silver Lincoln cent, dated 1966.  It is F to VF (in my opinion)...anyway, I am trying to determine the origin and potential value.



Optional Link URL:  
Link Title:         
Optional Image URL: