1942 white metal penny

[Surgeonital]

OOPS, not certain if obverse or reverse loaded up first, I just ordered a scale that measures .01 gr increments, supposed to arrive Fri 10/07/22 but in meantime was curious if anyone here has seen or heard of something like this. It is not magnetic and unfortunately my scale currently only measures whole grams and it read 3 grams but . Hoping I attached the photos correctly an nope, hasn't been cleaned. Found this penny just few days ago in my 43 steelies jar I decided to look at closer and when it would not let my magnet pick it up I looked closer at it. I will be buying a metal verifier soon but probably not soon enough. Any guesses to what I might have here? Thank you in advance!!! I see I did attach correctly and realized the reverse is a photo I attempted with magnifying glass

[SensibleSal66]

Looks tampered With. Copper removed to reveal zinc layer??? Made to look like the more rare steel cent 1942.

[JTCC]

Looks tampered With. Copper removed to reveal zinc layer??? Made to look like the more rare steel cent 1942.

This coin is struck on a bronze planchet, which is not plated with copper and does not have a zinc core. The weight of it reveals it’s true nature, a steel cent planchet should weigh 2.7 grams, with this weighing 3+ grams, it’s not struck on one.
There is no steel cents struck in 1942.
This coin is post mint altered, it’s plated after it left the mint.

[pnwmakes]

I agree with JTCC plated.

[JayEff]

Seems like a good time and place to post this. I was teaching myself how to nickel plate a few years ago and experimented on a penny. Turned out nice and it was quick and super easy. I knew when I saw it that if I let it out into the wild, it might end up giving some well meaning coin dealer a headache. Lol
My point is, I can see people doing things like that and as simple as it is, I’m surprised it doesn’t turn up more often.

Forgive the poor quality. I just stuck my phone in my chins hutch to get the pic.

[Surgeonital]

Seems like a good time and place to post this. I was teaching myself how to nickel plate a few years ago and experimented on a penny. Turned out nice and it was quick and super easy. I knew when I saw it that if I let it out into the wild, it might end up giving some well meaning coin dealer a headache. Lol
My point is, I can see people doing things like that and as simple as it is, I’m surprised it doesn’t turn up more often.

Forgive the poor quality. I just stuck my phone in my chins hutch to get the pic.

That had crossed my mind, will know weight more accurately when new scale arrives, I think current scale rounds up and down to nearest whole, so 2.6 and 3.4 seem to readout 3 if I'm not mistaken, not fractional unfortunately. It's a 5000 gr in 1 gr increments, have only used it for cooking and/or herbs and spices lol, rarely used it for liquid conversions. If it has been altered post minting whomever did it either did a good job getting it to look somewhat circulated or released in the wild as a prank they know they'd never see the unsuspecting victim's face when they find out otherwise. Quality of your photos didn't appear poor, blazes they're probably better than mine. If plating is simple as you suggest it is, I would have to agree it's surprising it isn't a more common occurrence LOL

[Surgeonital]

Looks tampered With. Copper removed to reveal zinc layer??? Made to look like the more rare steel cent 1942.

Being tampered with is my first and foremost thought, trying to remember what chemical we used when I was in an electronics class back in the 80's, when making a circuit board we would have a board that was plated with copper and lay out strips of a fibrous tape designing layout of circuit and the chemical dissolved all exposed copper that was not protected by the tape. Goofing off in class one time we had tossed a copper penny (from the 50's if memory correct) in the solution and let it sit over the weekend and come Monday when returned to class there really wasn't much of anything left. Can't even really think of a way to describe what was there and what it looked like. It didn't resemble a penny with distinct notable features, I mean you could tell it was once a penny because knew before it was put in, but if didn't know prior, I'm not convinced would know it was..... When my new scale arrives I will have more accurate weight....

[Surgeonital]

Looks tampered With. Copper removed to reveal zinc layer??? Made to look like the more rare steel cent 1942.

If copper removed I would think it would weigh considerably less since 42 pennies were 95% copper, but I'm quite new to this and can't claim I made an educated guess there.

[Paul]

Looks tampered With. Copper removed to reveal zinc layer??? Made to look like the more rare steel cent 1942.

Composition: Bronze

29

[Daniel]

Looks tampered With. Copper removed to reveal zinc layer??? Made to look like the more rare steel cent 1942.

Sal, we need to strive to give accurate information in this community. I appreciate your help here but guessing is not going to cut it, 1942 cents where not plated, they're a solid alloy.


THE correct answer here is... without a weight or an XRF metal test on the coin WE can't help you with this coin. Once you can get that done then we would be glad to help you further. Thanks!

[Surgeonital]

Scale came a day late lolol, penny weighs 3.19 g