I started going through a bunch of wheat pennies that have been unopened for at least 30 years and I came across something strange. I found a silver wheat penny from 1955. I'm putting up a pic. Any information would be greatly appreciated
I'm afraid the image is a tad blurry as I blow it up, but here's the next thing that needs to be done: the coin needs to be weighed. It's possible that it's either an off-metal error or simply a regular Lincoln cent that was plated.
If your coin is an off-metal error struck on a silver dime planchet, it should weigh 2.5 grams.
A plated Lincoln cent (post-mint alteration) from that era would weigh at least 3.11 grams, give or take a few hundredths of a gram.
If your coin was struck on a steel planchet, it would weigh in the 2.7-gram range.
If you could please reply back with a weight on your coin I'd be able to further assist.
Many Lincoln cents made both before and after World War II were plated by individuals outside the Mint to create so-called "fantasy" coins that mimic the novelty of the 1943 steel cents, which were made by the U.S. Mint to save copper for the war effort. The post-Mint plating could be silver, pewter, or even mercury -- the latter of which was commonly used to give pennies a silvery color during the the 1950s. Such pieces have no numismatic value. It's still an interesting piece and one you might want to hang on to since it is so unusual.
Thanks so much Josh. I appreciate the information. So I am to assume that under that is a copper wheat penny? That is really strange. It's been sitting in a "piggy" bank with a couple hundred other wheat pennies for at least thirty years. It tough to fathom who would go through the trouble to plate it then put it back in circulation for someone else to stash away for thirty years. Nothing ceases to amaze me these days.
It was likely plated in the 1950s or 60s, during the height of the coin collecting boom. Perhaps the 1955 penny represented a special year to the owner and thus why it was plated as memento -- or perhaps it was plated simply to recreate the novelty of the 1943 cent (something, amazingly, many people spent their free time doing). Presumably, the coin's owner passed the coin on to someone who probably had little, if any, numismatic knowledge about coins. That person likely spent the coin at face value, and it passed through the channels of circulation -- perhaps even being spent, mistakenly, as a dime at one point given its color.
I hope this sheds some light on your silvery penny!
I also have found a penny from 1955 that is silver. It is in great shape. It seems hardly like it could have been plated after the fact and have perfect detail. There has to be some sort of story behind this.
Would you please post a photo of this coin here along with its weight, if possible, down to the hundredth of a gram? This will help us figure out what's going on and whether or not it's an off-metal error or a plated coin.
I also have a silver 1955 wheat penny. It weighs exactly 3 grams, although my scale only does tenths. Can anyone tell me what I have here? Thanks in advance...
True double-die 1955 Lincoln Cents can indeed be worth quite a bit of money. However, there are plenty of counterfeits circulating. If the coin is not slabbed you should take it to an authorized coin grader for appraisal.
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