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Re: 1974 Penny??

Posted by JeffK on May 06, 2009 at 20:31:25:

In Reply to: 1974 Penny?? posted by Aaron on May 05, 2009 at 16:43:57:

To try to explain things, I think you are remembering and conflating stories about a small number of experimental aluminum cents that were struck in 1974 to see if the metal could be a viable alternative to copper.

It wasn't viable, and the aluminum cents were supposedly destroyed. There have been persistent rumors though that a few of the coins escaped the melting pot.

Cents continued to be made out of copper (actually bronze) until mid-1982 when the current copper-plated zinc composition was adopted.

WADR, coin expert or not, I do have to say that for anything - coins, airplanes, history, whatever - a bit of observation can go a long way to explaining supposed "mistakes" and "mysteries". For example I'm frequently asked about "incredibly rare" quarters/dimes/cents/etc. where the back of the coin is supposedly upside-down versus the front. My response is always the same - "Did you look at any other coins in your pocket change?" - because ALL American coins have their backsides oriented 180º to the front!

: I found a 1974 "D" penny, but it is the normal copper color, not aluminum. What is with this? Is it worth anything? Let me know. It is definitely 1974 and "D".

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• Re: 1974 Penny?? aaron 22:08:50 05/06/09 (0)

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: To try to explain things, I think you are remembering and conflating stories about a small number of experimental aluminum cents that were struck in 1974 to see if the metal could be a viable alternative to copper.

: It wasn't viable, and the aluminum cents were supposedly destroyed.  There have been persistent rumors though that a few of the coins escaped the melting pot.

: Cents continued to be made out of copper (actually bronze) until mid-1982 when the current copper-plated zinc composition was adopted.

: WADR, coin expert or not, I do have to say that for anything - coins, airplanes, history, whatever - a bit of observation can go a long way to explaining supposed "mistakes" and "mysteries".  For example I'm frequently asked about "incredibly rare" quarters/dimes/cents/etc. where the back of the coin is supposedly upside-down versus the front. My response is always the same - "Did you look at any other coins in your pocket change?" - because ALL American coins have their backsides oriented 180º to the front! 

: : I found a 1974 "D" penny, but it is the normal copper color, not aluminum. What is with this? Is it worth anything? Let me know. It is definitely 1974 and "D".



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