Any 1960 D off metal cents known?

[Frugi]

Hello everyone I am new to this forum and the main reason I came was to find out any info on a lincoln cent that I found sorting copper from zinc cents.

It is a 1960 D Lincoln cent on a metal that can only be described as sort of electrum looking; it is a dark matte gold color; it also has a scratch on the obverse showing a silvery metal underneath. It also has effects of a broken die. It also has a bit of black corrosion on the obverse (very small and on lincolns shoulder). The last and most interesting detail is that it weighs 3.3 grams on my scale. Im sorry I dont have a picture of it I dont have a scanner or digital camera. Any information on rarity and/or value would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You
Frugi

[eagames]

The only off metals that I've seen would be if it was on a dime planchet. If that was the case it would be silver and weigh about 2.5grams and the planchet would be smaller so some of the outer areas might be cut off. Since yours weighs 3.3grams that's closer to a normal cent at 3.11grams. (maybe your scale is off, compare with any pre 1982 copper cent) Most likely it's a cent that was discolored by some enviornmental conditions or even plated in a science class. In some years there are cents on foreign planchets but most are smaller, I haven't heard of any from 1960 but there could be.

[Bob P]

Hi Frugi,
Welcome to the coppercoins forum. We are glad to have you here. As far as your coin goes, I am not aware of any off metal 1960 cents. However, they have happened and the descriptions you give indicate a definite possibility. The weight of 3.3 grams is a bit heavy as the cent for that period was between 3.0 and 3.1 grams. AS far as the silvery color under the scratch...is the scratch pretty deep? The corrosion and color differences can happen if the coins are dipped in an acid solution. Another possibility is that the coin was electroplated and then cleaned again. I have seen, and do have a couple of cents from that era that have been plated with mercury to get the silver color. In cases like this, it is very important not to mess with them too much.
Ultimately, it is real difficult to tell without coin in hand. We deal mainly with varieties here, so I will leave it open for inputs from other members.