✅ SOLVED Is this a Lincoln penny or not?

[TonyK]

Found this last week along the Oregon coast with some pennies and dimes. At first I didn't give it much thought as it looked like another penny. On closer inspection, and using a magnifying glass, the bust "seems" different from Lincoln, has a broader head and slightly angled differently (you can make out the left brow), the clothing different and the strange symbol behind the head does not fit anything I can locate on line. Also what is left of the back side of the coin does not look like anything I have found on a penny. It is a copper alloy, thinner than a penny, and was difficult to clean (mistake because some of the detail has been erased).

Any help identifying the coin is appreciated! Could this be a Lincoln penny that was simply distorted under heavy use/damage/ and subsurface soil conditions? Apologize for the lack of detail.

 

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[erfranks]

Looks like a Lincoln Penny to me, and i would say newer, after 1982 they been making pennies with zinc and they do not last in the elements. I have dug up the newer pennies at the beach and the sand and salt from water have eating them up. This does look at a Lincoln and has sheild on back like this one, they started with the shield in 2010.

 

[TonyK]

Thanks for your quick response!

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Looks like one.

Although, officially, the United States has never produced a penny coin. They are cents. 1/100th of a dollar.

 

[galenrog]

While I agree that it is a Lincoln Cent, I doubt it is a modern cent. A salt water environment will typically corrode a
copper plated zinc planchette to nothing long before sand and surf wear it to its current appearance. Could be wrong on that evaluation, but it still appears to be a salt and surf worn Lincoln Cent.

Time for more coffee.

 

[cudamark]

Simple to find out. Just scrape the edge of the coin. If it's white metal, it's a zinc cent. Copper color, it's pre-zinc.

 

[xr7ator]

In 1969 they decided to make ol' Lincoln's head smaller on the U.S. one cent coin. My guess is it is a pre 69 and could very well be a wheat back.

 

[galenrog]

Simple to find out. Just scrape the edge of the coin. If it's white metal, it's a zinc cent. Copper color, it's pre-zinc.

Very True. And not likely to damage coin further. Copper plating can be thicker on edges, however.

Time for more coffee.