1974 Aluminum Penny

So... I risk a visit from the Secret Service by posting this picture.

I was reading a lesson from my photography class on still life and macro when I got the idea to take some shots of my coin collection. I found some intesting looking pieces, cleaned them up, and snapped away. This particular coin I thought was an infamous Steel Penny, but steel pennies were only produced in 1943 and my silver colored coin is dated 1974 (oddly enough, I do have a 1943 steel penny in my collection). Some research indicated that in 1974 the US Mint produced some test pennies out of aluminum. The coins were never released into circulation and are therefore considered property of the US Mint. If this penny were authentic (maybe it is, it was awfully filthy before my cleaning session, but the odds are against me) it would be worth millions on the black market. Hmm...

Penny Fact: The official name for a penny is a "cent".

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1974 Aluminum Penny