Canadian cents crumbled!!

[Newfiehunter]

Just awhile ago, when I had some time on my hands, I decided to clean some Canadian pennies by soaking them in some vinegar for a few days. Anyway, as I was brushing off some dirt off some the recent minted cents (last 5 years or so) some of them started to disintegrate. They literally started to crumble in my hands!! There were some that I could just break in two with hardly any effort. I know that the metal composition had changed. Canadian pennies are no being produced from copper. I believe it is a steel plated metal alloy. Also, if chedked on a metal detector with a VID, the newer Canadian pennies will show up just above iron on the meter. What gives?

 

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[blurr]

Found this for you.

Currently: 0.01 (penny): 94% steel, 1.5% nickel, 4.5% copper plating


John

 

[Newfiehunter]

Thanks John.

 

[bigbcbear]

year 2000 to 2008 contents 94% steel, 1.5% nickel, 4.5% copper plated zinc 1997 to 1999 98.4% zinc, 1.6% copper plating. Sounds like you have the 97 to 99 pennies . I have found a bunch of the 97 to 99 and they just crumble. plus they are dangerous to kids. to much zinc , kids land up in hospital from swallowing them.