I have provided a link on another site to your posted thread. You may hear from some established experts relatively soon.

I agree with Lightwire that it's either coated pure copper or decoated from a zinc planchet from the following year. Also, many times what a collector feels is a "wished for" grade, doesn't turn out to be reality. One teeny bagmark or discoloration drops it a point each time.

If you paid $30 for it, that's below what there is in silver there. Each face dollar is worth about $20 in silver.

It is impossible to grade, via photos & internet, through plastic. Most of these pliofilm sets sell for a little over scrap silver price (each face dollar is .6 troy oz of Ag & you have $1.85 worth). Most average around 63-65. These P-L sets are a good way to get nice-looking coins for a goo...

Yes, it looks like a vise may have come into play ... the edges are curled and the flat portions (sides) are not all the same size.

Zinc should have no coppery tone/tint to it. I just think that the copper plating wore off or had improper adherence to start with. I think that it was part of the 1997 copper-plated zinc strips that got put into the stamping machine and turned out 12-sided planchets of the wrong alloy.

How do you know that it's zinc? Is the plating coming off?

I don't think that zinc cored cents (copper plated) were started until 1997. If you have one, is it round or 12-sided?

From 1997 through 2006, the Mint used copper-plated zinc planchets, then started experimenting with copper-plated steel planchets; Since then, you find lots of discussions about magnetic and non-magnetis coins of various denominations... zinc being non-magnetis (as is bronze or copper) and steel bei...

Is it raised or recessed? It looks like someone plated it, either electro or dipping, and it has partially worn off.

The 2013 Charlton has nickel dollar varieties in the back, written by a very well-known collector, not a dealer. Take a look there .. it could be due to die polishing.

Welcome to the site. Enjoy!

There have been many many "fake" dots applied to all of the '36 coins, some looking better than the others. I wouldn't plan on your retirement just yet .. die chips (that leave a dot) are plentiful through all the 1920-150 coinages.

Yes, it appears to be back into manageable lines. Thanks

I look in to this site from time to time, but make very few posts. This morning I wanted to answer a question, but had to log in to do so. Once I did log in, the visual presentation for my pages changed. Once you click on a post, you have to scroll left and right to see what is written ... and the s...