1966 Penny in brass

[Accumulator 52]

I've acquired a 1966 penny in brass, which appears to have seen some circulation. I've heard mention of coins in various metals for 1966/67 but can't find any literature or references for this. Anyone have more information?

Apologies for the quality of pics, but the coin is slabbed so these are library photos from the TPG.

[Peckris 579]

I've acquired a 1966 penny in brass, which appears to have seen some circulation. I've heard mention of coins in various metals for 1966/67 but can't find any literature or references for this. Anyone have more information?

Apologies for the quality of pics, but the coin is slabbed so these are library photos from the TPG.

Cool - but where did the brass verdict come from? It doesn't look like classic brass, but if it's been tested...

[Accumulator 52]

Cool - but where did the brass verdict come from? It doesn't look like classic brass, but if it's been tested...

It looks brass in colour and certainly isn't bronze. I don't know whether it's been tested though. My verdict is taken from the TPG label on the slab (by CGS).

[Peckris 579]

Cool - but where did the brass verdict come from? It doesn't look like classic brass, but if it's been tested...

It looks brass in colour and certainly isn't bronze. I don't know whether it's been tested though. My verdict is taken from the TPG label on the slab (by CGS).

Shame it's been slabbed - the weight would be a clincher.

[Accumulator 52]

Cool - but where did the brass verdict come from? It doesn't look like classic brass, but if it's been tested...

It looks brass in colour and certainly isn't bronze. I don't know whether it's been tested though. My verdict is taken from the TPG label on the slab (by CGS).

Shame it's been slabbed - the weight would be a clincher.

Good point. I checked the CGS record for the slab but no weight is recorded.

[Coinery 1,147]

Cool - but where did the brass verdict come from? It doesn't look like classic brass, but if it's been tested...

It looks brass in colour and certainly isn't bronze. I don't know whether it's been tested though. My verdict is taken from the TPG label on the slab (by CGS).

Shame it's been slabbed - the weight would be a clincher.

Good point. I checked the CGS record for the slab but no weight is recorded.

I'll bet the plastic slab, rubber insert and labels, are relatively consistent in weight, would it be worth asking cgs if they'd mind weighing up a couple of blanks and labels for you to check?

Failing that, there must be a few people on here who have slabbed pennies about? It would be interesting to gather some weights in to check consistency (I presume most 20th century pennies would be a consistent high-grade [weight] if they're slabbed). If there was very little difference, it could be a simple matter of then weighing your slab and calculating the variation...maybe?????!

How many grams difference would there be between a brass and bronze penny?

[Rob 3,152]

The variations seen in flan weight would be too great to determine the composition. A few years back we had a thread on farthing weights and the variation was 2.69g to 2.93g if I remember rightly. Certainly 2.6 something and 2.9 something. Leaving aside the 10% variation in flan weights, the densities of brass and bronze would be roughly the same anyway because zinc and tin have roughly the same densities. You would need to carry out an XRF analysis. A visual assessment of the material based on colour would be more informative than a weight.

[Peter 615]

Can't see anyone wanting to slab a Liz 11 penny to compare.

I'm sure CGS can be trusted to ID brass.

Edited April 24, 2012 by Peter

[Accumulator 52]

I have looked up the relative densities of brass v bronze and, as Rob predicts, they are very similar. I think Peter is right, I'll have to rely on the visual check, backed up by CGS.

Any thoughts on the how such a coin came to exist and how common they are?

[Coinery 1,147]

Can't see anyone wanting to slab a Liz 11 penny to compare.

I'm sure CGS can be trusted to ID brass.

Nobody in the whole wide world would pay money themselves to slab the coins you can actually see available slabbed by CGS, I think they slabbed a whole load of low-value coinage for some other grand plan (numbers slabbed possibly etc???). There are endless coins slabbed well under the cost of slabbing!

I agree that cgs should know these things, but I've even had a coin returned with a so-called CGS variety (no serif on 1 of date) dated incorrectly, by 4 years...1 and 5, not an excusable 3 and 8, or 8 and 9 etc.

Edited April 25, 2012 by Coinery

[Coinery 1,147]

Just took a quick peek at CGS, they've even got 165 DECIMAL pennies slabbed out there! Somebody is even the proud owner of a 2010 1p. They have got an awful lot of SH*TE bolstering their 'population reports'.

[Coinery 1,147]

Perhaps I shouldn't really use the word sh*te, as a coin's a coin, regardless of its perceived monetary/collectable value! I can't even bin a Fine Edward VII penny...Instead I desperately hope someone will give me 49p for it on eBay, just to free my conscience! :-)

[Accumulator 52]

Can't see anyone wanting to slab a Liz 11 penny to compare.

I'm sure CGS can be trusted to ID brass.

Nobody in the whole wide world would pay money themselves to slab the coins you can actually see available slabbed by CGS, I think they slabbed a whole load of low-value coinage for some other grand plan (numbers slabbed possibly etc???). There are endless coins slabbed well under the cost of slabbing!

I agree that cgs should know these things, but I've even had a coin returned with a so-called CGS variety (no serif on 1 of date) dated incorrectly, by 4 years...1 and 5, not an excusable 3 and 8, or 8 and 9 etc.

I know what you mean. When viewing pennies at the Dec 2011 London Coins auction I noted a CGS slabbing error (incorrectly identified variety for 1908). I emailed CGS and received a 'we will look into it' reply, but never heard a thing afterwards. In my opinion a certification company should have a strict process for handling errors as part of their QC system. I would have expected more from them.

Anyway, back to the coin.... any views on these strikes in other metals?

[Colin G. 147]

I agree that this is where their long term standing will be determined. Mistakes should be few and far between by a professional grading company given what procedures should be in place. But anyone is capable of making a mistake, so it is how they react to such mistakes that is the most important factor.

I assume much of the dross that has been graded may be for samples/marketing purposes, but you never know there may be devoted decimal collectors out there

I assume the coin in question may have been struck accidentally on a planchet intended for a different purpose?

Edited April 25, 2012 by Colin G.

[davidrj 194]

I assume the coin in question may have been struck accidentally on a planchet intended for a different purpose?

The only penny sized coins in brass I can think of are:-

N.Vietnam 2 dong 1946 (v. crude and minted in Hanoi)

S.African 1cent 1961-1964 (probably inted in Pretoria)

Kenyan 10 cents 1966-1991 (?Royal Mint)

Latter could possibly be the culprit

david

[VickySilver 830]

Crack it out and get a mass spec reading from a local university.

Uggh, I am here in Maryland and the U. of Md offered to do electron microscopy of a penny for "something above 500 USD"!

So hopefully they are more amenable in Merry olde Englande...