I recently found a 1983 penny that appears not to have been copper-coated; Here is a photo of it next to a quarter and a regular penny for color comparison. Any ideas on what exactly is going on here? I remember a lab in chemistry class that involved zinc-coating a penny and torching it to give it a golden color, and if I recall correctly, the pre-burn zinc was silvery, but I don’t think that that’s what’s going on here. So, is it possibly worth anything? Thanks.
I don’t what years mine are, but I bought a handful at a coin store, for… pennies. They are quite strange looking.
In 1943 pennies were made from zinc coated steel to save metal for the war, and these are often sold at coin shops(see here). If the date is 1983, it is probably just a standard penny from which the copper was removed.
Your pics appear too fuzzy and the color isn’t separated enough, at least for me to express an opinion
When they first made the copper-coated zinc cent in mid-1982, some got through without getting the copper coating. It was a big deal back in the day. We sometimes got over $100 for one at that time.
Today, even if real, we don’t value them at very much. A few dollars as a novelty. That doesn’t mean that someone wouldn’t pay more.
It could also be a coin that has been coated with something privately.
If you could do better color pics, I’d express an opinion.