# Non-coppered penny - worth anything?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-coppered-penny-worth-anything/248837>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 5, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-coppered-penny-worth-anything/248837 "2004-06-05T18:56:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-coppered-penny-worth-anything/248837/1 "2004-06-05T18:56:56Z")

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I recently found a 1983 penny that appears not to have been copper-coated; [Here](http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v237/rogueistari/?action=view&current=100_5577.jpg) 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.

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**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-coppered-penny-worth-anything/248837/2 "2004-06-05T20:43:08Z")

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I don’t what years mine are, but I bought a handful at a coin store, for… pennies. They are quite strange looking.

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**Author:** ![quelquechose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/6f9a4e/32.png) [@quelquechose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quelquechose)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-coppered-penny-worth-anything/248837/3 "2004-06-05T21:12:45Z")

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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](http://www.bestcoin.com/1943-steel-cent.htm)). If the date is 1983, it is probably just a standard penny from which the copper was removed.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-coppered-penny-worth-anything/248837/4 "2004-06-05T22:49:56Z")

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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.