COPPER CENT VERSUS A COPPER-PLATED ZINC CENT

[pgleba]

I thought that metal detectors reacted only to the surface metal of an object.

How do they discriminate between a copper penny and a copper-plated zinc penny?

 

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[Monty]

I don't know exactly how it does it either, but a detector will not only react to the surface of an object, but to the mass also. I would guess that the two cents have a different mass. I think the composition of pennies are for the most part an anomoly. I was at a club planted hunt one time and came across a 1998 penny that wouldn't be picked up by several brands of detecters unless the discrimination was turned nearly off! I had several guys try it and they just shook their heads, unable to figure out why. On the other hand I have seen many pennies ring in on my Garrett detector as a dime. They will activate the bell tone and flash under the dime icon every time. Other pennies of the same year will give only the muted tone of a penny. I have often wondered about that too. Anyone know what's happening? Monty

 

[azmetaldetector]

I don't know 'how' they do it, but my White's MXT will show 'zinc' in the displya field for the copper coated zincs and just show a 1 for the copper pennies. ?VDI's for copper coated zincs are in the 50s range while the regular coppers are in the +70s range...

 

[northeast hunter]

The zinc penny.It's 98 percent zinc and 2 percent copper.Now that zinc has gone up over $ 1000.00 a ton in the last year.Who know what they will make the penny out of.WOOD maybe

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I believe the electromagnetic fields of detectors penetrate the whole coin, not just run along the surface. Zinc/copper cents are less conductive than purer solid copper cents, so they appear distinct to the coil.

 

[ScottNewMexico]

Did an experiment in Chemistry in college. Dropped a cut-in-half penny into a certain acid that likes zinc, but leaves the copper completely alone. The copper shell remained. What a shock! The shell was thinner than regular foil out of the box! The Penny is zinc, not copper (generally speaking). Plated on the zinc and weiging less than .00056g! That equaled approximately .02 percent of the total penny weight! Cheap, cheap, cheap US Mint!

 

[Monty]

On my GTI 2500, a copper cent shows up as a dime and the zinc cent shows up as..well a penny. The copper comes in a lot louder and clearer than the zinc. If I was always sure it was a zinc cent I wouldn't even dig it. So many of them are partially desentrigrated or eaten away thkey are really junk. Monty

 

[greenswinger]

Monty you hit it right ....good copper goes ding!!!!!! zinkers go bonk .......

 

[Jeffro]

My Fisher CZ-5 has a zinc ID. Its dead on, all the time. It's either a Zinc cent, or trash, every time. No idea how they did it, lol!