I have a silver-colored 1977 penny that does not stick to a magnet. Can anyone tell me what this is?

Question

It does not have a copper line on the edge and weighs 3.1 grams. Thanks, D

Answer 1

Maybe a dime... they used to be pure silver but people kept melting it and selling the silver..

Answer 2

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Answer 3

There is a chemistry lab that involves turning a penny into "gold." One of the chemicals used is zinc. The penny turns a silver color first. Then, if heat is added the penny will turn a gold color. The last step is not necessary.

Older pennies work better as they are solid copper (newer pennies are copper coated).

My guess is that you have a penny that was not taken through the complete process.

I have done this lab twice in high school. The first of which another student diposed of the zinc incorrectly causing a trash can fire that night.

Answer 4

I answered this once before, seems you don't want to hear the truth. A cent from 1977 weighs 3.11 grams and if you bring yours out to another decimal point it should weigh a little more. It has been plated with something but the plating may be a very light coat or a chemical was used and in that case no weight would have been added.. There are NO silver colored cents from any year except 1943 & very rare 1944. You do not have a rare coin. You have a damaged one.

Answer 5

The penny still has copper in it the us mint melted copper and steel  together so the copper is making it unmagnetized.

Answer 6

I assume it is a US penny.  To my knowledge, there was never a pure zinc penny ever minted in the US.  The 1943 pennies were steel, and therefore magnetic.  We started adding a zinc core to pennies in 1983 (+/- a year).

My guess is that you either have a novelty coin of some sort, or someone electroplated or chemically altered a regular copper penny.  I have a gold-plated penny produced this way.  Unfortunately, they aren't worth anything except as a novelty.