Cent planchet tolerance?

[Ed varietyhunter]

I have a 1942 cent that's thicker than others and a yellow brassy color.
The rim looks strange to me, sort of more shear lines on it than a normal cent. It's not cleaned and about MS63.

Not sure if it's a high rim due to strike or if the color is due to to enviornment.

The only scale I have is a balance and I can only tell that it's slightly heavier than other 1942 cents.

I'll be weighing it on a good scale at the next coin show on the 12th, if it's beyond the normal tolerance I'll post a photo.

What's the weight tolerance is for a normal one?

[diamond]

It may be a significant error. 1941 produced a fair number of overweight, brass cents. A few are from 1942. They generally weigh 3.3 - 3.4 grams. There is no consensus on their origin. Some claim they are foreign planchets, others foreign stock. Still others suspect that they were punched out of rolled-thick stock that coincidentally had too much tin or zinc in the mixture. 1941 produced a lot of normal-weight improper alloy mix errors. A normal cent from 1942 will hover around 3.11 grams. Deviation in excess of 0.1 grams from a mean of 3.1 grams is considered an error.

[Ed varietyhunter]

Thanks Mike!

I'll update when I get it weighed

[19Lyds]

The only scale I have is a balance and I can only tell that it's slightly heavier than other 1942 cents.

I'll be weighing it on a good scale at the next coin show on the 12th, ..........

My advice to any individual that is actively seeking errors or that may think they have an error coin is to purchased a digital coin scale. They can be had for less then $30 and are really an invaluable tool.

In my book, a coin scale is just as important as a good loupe and no coin collector should be without one!

[Ed varietyhunter]

I got it weighed.
It was a digital scale but only shows to .1 gram (I was hoping for one that shows .01)

I brought a few normal 1942 cents to do a sanity check.
All the normal ones weighed right at 3.1 and this one weighed 3.2 grams.

Lee, that's good advice. I'm looking for a decent scale that shows down to .01 grams.

Here's some pics, the coin stands out among other 1942 cents. Sort of a dull lighter color but the rim has more shine.

Anyone think it's worth slabbing?
Assuming it weighs .1 grams higher on their scale would it get noted as a planchet error?


Normal cent on the left for comparison:

[diamond]

It's just an ordinary cent as far as I can tell. It does not have the appearance nor the extra weight of the brass cents of this period. It's certainly not an improper alloy mix error. It's just oddly toned. Weight is still within the normal range of variation.

[Ed varietyhunter]

Thanks Mike.

That's what I was thinking. I was hoping it would be 3.3-3.4 grams.
I think I'll just put it in a flip.

At least when I get a better scale I can verify the weight better.