How much is a 1988D silver penny worth?

Answer 1

If it is the normal size and weight, it has probably been coated with something to make it appear silver. Back in high school my physics class made a lot of 'silver pennies' and 'copper dimes'. Or it MAY be a mint error stamped on a planchet which did not have the copper coating - cents minted since 1983 are actually zinc with a very thin copper layer. These are worth a dollar or so, but since the "coin doctors" have figured out how to fake them by giving a normal cent a quick dip in acid, they almost have to be certified before they can be sold and the certification will cost more than the coin is worth. The third possibility is a wrong-planchet error struck on a cent-sized blank intended for some foreign coin being produced by the US Mint. If it is a copper-nickel alloy, it will weigh more than a normal cent and if it is aluminum it will weigh slightly less. This error could be worth a fair amount, perhaps $100, but you would have to research it to find out exactly what coin the blank was intended for and document production of that coin by the US Mint in 1988. I also found an odd-looking, odd-sounding 1988-D Lincoln cent in change over the holidays. The coin was nearly black and just did not "feel right." I took it to my local coin dealer and found that it weighs 0.1 mg more than it should. The concensus of the owners was that it was just heavily corroded although all the devices were clear. Feeling there was not much to lose, I (gasp!) dipped the coin revealing a bright gun-metal gray appearance. I would be tempted to say this was a cent that had just lost its copper coating to reveal its zinc heart, but the weight is more, not less, than the mint's specs. As far as I can tell, the US mint was not producing foreign coins in 1988. The coin is not magnetic. Could this possibly be some kind of experimental strike?