Ive been working on filling some coin books for family members. But I hit a brick wall. Some of the coins of the same year and mint mark, weere made of different materials. So I need to find a way to tell the difference between a copper coin, and a zinc coin that DOESNT damage the coin in the proccess. Anyone got any helpful ideas?
2007-10-27 07:34:07 · 6 answers · asked by ookami_douketsu 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
I suppose I should mention these are not PURE zinc nor PURE copper. I can obviously tell the difference from the "Steel Cents" made during world war II as can anyone, even someone color blind can. These are alloys. I need to be able to tell the difference between a coin that is 85% zinc 15% copper, and one thats 85% copper and 15% Zinc. Color alone isnt gonna work. I have some 80 of them sitting infront of me right now, and they all look like a normal copper penny to me.
2007-10-27 07:45:55 · update #1
Yeah sure dear
take juice of one lemon and put a very little water in it about 10 ml in the porceline dish.
Now dip both the coins in the solution for 2 minutes.
Now take them out and wash under ordinary water.
The brighter one is of copper and the old type is of zinc.
It will not harm your coin.
It is process to wash copper coins in India and we wash our old coins on which our god are sculptured.
This process uses phenomenon of metal displacement in a electrochemical series.
Zinc lies above acidic proton and can't displaced by dilute weak acids.
But copper lies in below and easily get displaced by weak acid.
That's all
let them see miracle
good luck
2007-10-27 07:46:03 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
On pennies, 1982 is the only year the US made both copper and copper plated zinc pennies. I believe there is a very slight weight difference, and the "ring" should be slightly different when dropped on a hard surface. Try comparing some 1981 or older pennies with some from 1984 or after and see if you can reliably tell a difference without looking at the date, then use that to sort the 1982 pennies. All after that date are zinc. Some WW II pennies from the US were steel, but other than that I believe all were copper.
2007-10-27 07:44:23 · answer #2 · answered by Now and Then Comes a Thought 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Zinc Coins
2016-10-21 22:26:36 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By date, to begin with, since it's only the 1982 coins you need to be concerned about.
Get yourself a good scale, that's the easiest way.
Partway through production of 1982 Lincoln cents, the U.S. Mint changed the coins' composition from brass (95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc) to one that is predominantly zinc (a core of 99.2 percent zinc and 0.8 percent copper with a copper barrel plating). Cents dated 1982 come in both metallic varieties - and to complicate matters even more, there are large-date and small-date versions in both compositions. Viewed side by side, the large and small dates are relatively easy to tell apart, and there isn't much money riding on the difference, since both are quite common. Distinguishing between the brass and zinc cents is easiest by weight, rather than color: The brass cent is heavier, at 3.11 grams versus 2.5 grams for the zinc cent. Again, both kinds are common. In all, there are seven different varieties of 1982 cents. Just one combination is missing: There is no small-date cent in brass from the Denver Mint.
2007-10-27 07:46:57 · answer #4 · answered by oklatom 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Zinc was used in some pennies during WWII...
Copper coins will look like modern copper pennies.... Zink pennies look sort of grey..... if they don't look like copper pennies then they are zink....
2007-10-27 07:38:46 · answer #5 · answered by ♥♥The Queen Has Spoken♥♥ 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Try to convert them into power lines. It should be easy with the copper ones.
2007-10-27 07:38:19 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋