Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
- Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----
Found a silver penny
Quickstart:
It is so easy to plate pennies with zinc that elementary school children do it regularly. And pennies have also been plated with nickel, silver, or gold as novelty giveaways, possibly by the millions. Virtually all such strangely colored pennies are worthless. Still, there do exist super-rare minting errors which might be valuable.
Q. I have a 1977 silver Lincoln Memorial cent, no mm and it "DOES NOT" stick to a magnet. It weighs 11 oz./ 3 grams.
Can you tell me any info on it? I would certainly appreciate it.
Thank you in advance.
- Leesburg
August 29, 2024
⇩ Related postings, oldest first ⇩
Q. I have found a silver colored penny. This is dated 1990d.
Robert Baker- Herrin, Illinois, USA
2001
A. Hi Robert. Countless students have followed Tom Pullizzi's instructions for this science experiment, zinc plating copper pennies ... maybe some are getting into circulation? :-)
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. I found the same coin but it doesn't have copper on the edges!
Scott Lambevski- Ontario, Canada
2003
Silver Pennies on eBay (affil link)
A. Hi Scott. Take it to a coin shop if you wish, but don't get your hopes up -- people are plating coins all the time. The odds are very very high that it is worthless :-(
But you can plate one yourself in minutes with stuff you have on hand per Tom's instructions for the science experiment.Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
1977 Silver Penny is Magnetic
Q. I have a 1977 silver penny. It is slightly heavier than a normal penny and it also sticks to a magnet, which a normal penny does not. However, there are some traces of a copper color on the rim/edge of the coin, but that's it. If anybody has any info about it, or has any idea if it may or may not be worth anything, please let me know.
Amanda Matthews- South Brook, Newfoundland, Canada
2003
! I've had the same 1977 "silver" penny since the mid 2000's, and it is also affected by magnets. I still don't know of its composition or value, but I've been collecting other old & uncommon/rare coins ever since. Very little info exists online about this illusive dime look-a-like, but it's good to learn that I don't have the only one.
P. Floyd III- Nichols, South Carolina
September 4, 2022
A. Hi folks.
Because they are magnetic I would suspect that someone nickel played them. A number of companies have had pennies nickel plated or gold plated as giveaways. Odds are very high that this is the explanation and they have no value, but you're certainly welcome to visit a coin dealer for confirmation.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. I have also found a silver penny, but was dated 1979... any info on this is appreciated. It has a few nicks in it, and the divots are silver too.
Clark Quackenbush- Kissimmee, Florida
2004
A. Hi Clark,
The divots were probably there before it was plated, and are therefore covered with the 'silver'. In addition to the many pennies zinc plated by students, possibly millions have been electroplated professionally for various promotional reasons. They are worth nothing.
There is always the chance in a million that it's valuable, so take it to a coin dealer if you wish, although the proprietor may chase you down the street with a broom :-)
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. I have found a silver penny, how much is it worth?
Phaedra Williamsoffice assistant - Fort Worth, Texas
2004
A. It's worth what someone will pay, Phaedra. If they find it a curiosity, maybe a dime, but maybe not. Remember that the mint is able to stamp a blank out of zinc, copper plate it, and distribute it, all for less than $.01. So even if it was real silver plating, which it probably isn't, it could probably be done in volume for under a nickel.
Thousands of school children have zinc plated pennies, and dozens of companies have zinc plated, nickel plated, silver plated, or gold plated them as give-aways. So, although it is certainly possible that you have a rare mint error which might be valuable, odds are thousands to one against. Sorry.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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Q. I have a 1960 penny that is Canadian and it is either coated or just plain silver, zinc or nickel. Can you please tell me how to find out?
Thanks
hobbyist - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
2004
Q. I have found a silver penny dated 1981. its lighter than a regular penny, and makes the same noise a quarter or dime does when dropped onto a hard surface.what can you tell me about this, and if it could be worth anything?
Crystal Druveyeducation - Columbus, Ohio, United States
2004
Q. I want to know how much a silver penny is worth because we were wrapping them and they were in a big tub and we found one.
Cai Y.hobbyist - Quincy, Washington, USA
2004
Ed. note: We've tried to handle this 'silver penny' question here as well as on
thread 9941 and
thread 41407
and are confident more than 999+ out of a 1000 are student experiments or novelty giveaways, but trying to appraise a coin sight unseen doesn't work.
Q. I'm interested in what was said above concerning the science experiment that Pullizzi put together - coating copper pennies in zinc. I've done it before, and I've been searching around for it, but I can't seem to find any info on it. Can anyone lend a hand?
Christopher Badell- Kansas City, Missouri, USA
2005
Ed. note: Here is the link to Tom Pullizzi's experiment.
Q. I just recently received an unmarked silver 1977 penny in some change from a restaurant. I didn't notice the color until I was home and took it out of my pocket. I have read your other questions and answers, so I guess my question would be is this penny a forgery?
John Burdinindustrialist - Beaver Dam, Kentucky
February 2, 2010
A. Hi, John. I don't think "forgery" is quite the right word for what thousands of grammar school students engage in for their science projects every semester :-)
But I think the odds that this coin is a winner aren't much better than that a discarded lottery ticket you found in the trash is a winner. Still, ruling out the possibility requires an inspection by someone knowledgeable. There are coin shops in most good-size towns & cities.
Good luck, and regards!
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Value of a silver 2004 penny
Q. I found a silver 2004 penny.
What is it worth
- Sacramento California
August 6, 2024
A. Hi Steve.
Almost surely only 1¢. Sorry.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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