I may have thrown back a $250 k cent!

Spizzerinctum

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Mar 8, 2013
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If you search cents like I do, you may have come across copper cents from various years that have been coated. I found a '43s re-coated with zinc, a '57 that seems to be the same, (both of which I kept) and some others that I did not keep. I remember a '74 that was similar to the zinc, wasn't as glossy and seemed too light. I think I rolled it up with the other copper cents I've been hoarding, of which there are a whopping 350,000 stored away. This morning, I saw a headline about a '74 cent expected to bring $250,000 at auction. Reading on, it was one of about a dozen made from aluminum as an experiment in '74 when copper prices got high. If I had only known this sooner! Now do I dig through all of those rolls and rolls of pennies on the slim chance it may be real or just realize how much time I would likely be wasting and try to forget it? I think it will continue to drive me crazy if I don't try to find it!
 

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CoinHuntingDrew

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Dec 23, 2013
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I question if it's still legal to own. I've heard of the FBI confiscating the 1944 fake war nickels in present day 21st century
 

brhalltx

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Dec 3, 2013
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I question if it's still legal to own. I've heard of the FBI confiscating the 1944 fake war nickels in present day 21st century

One article I read said that the 1974 aluminum pennies had been determined to all be legally owned (a number were given to various government officials).
 

xrunndonex

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Dec 4, 2013
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One article I read said that the 1974 aluminum pennies had been determined to all be legally owned (a number were given to various government officials).

They where then illegal to own after they decided against aluminum pennies sent the secret service out to find them. There are 12 out there one in Smithsonian also mine wasn't aluminum :p pulling yalls chain lol. Its painted or something still my heart jumped when I found it.
 

xrunndonex

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Dec 4, 2013
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They where then illegal to own after they decided against aluminum pennies sent the secret service out to find them. There are 12 out there one in Smithsonian also mine wasn't aluminum :p pulling yalls chain lol. Its painted or something still my heart jumped when I found it.

Also a janitor got one from a congress man
 

billionaire

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Sep 15, 2012
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I still havent gotten around to looking for mine but its probably going to be silver plated. Any way to find out if its silver or aluminum?
 

fishwhacker

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Oct 21, 2011
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The aluminum one will be very very light, find the weight for a standard dime online and if plated it should be very close to or slightly over that, an aluminum one would be below the listed weight, probably by a significant amount.
 

xrunndonex

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Dec 4, 2013
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The aluminum one will be very very light, find the weight for a standard dime online and if plated it should be very close to or slightly over that, an aluminum one would be below the listed weight, probably by a significant amount.

It wouldn't even be a gram
 

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