Plastic Penny

[CoinCrusader42]

While at the landfill yesterday, I made an interesting discovery. I was unloading the bed of my pickup when I saw a penny (Lincoln Cent). I picked it up and immediately noticed how light it was.

Turns out it was made of plastic, and dated 1991.

What was interesting is that it looked perfect in every detail.

It wasn't marked "copy" or "replica."

I suppose it was part of a game of some sort.

Sign of things to come?

 

[ElleKitty]

Ugh, I hope not.  I'd hate to get into my car in the summer just to find out all my change in the ashtray had melted.

[longnine009]

During World War ll the mint made a lot of trail strikes in different kinds of material. At some point in time a kid tried to spend a plastic cent in  Tonawanda New York.  It was then revealed that the kid's father just happened to work  for Durez Plastic and Chemical and the rumors started that the mint was producing plastic cents. The mint denied the rumors for a while.  But the rumors turned out to be all too true. The mint, working with Durez, had made trial strikes but the cents were too brittle and sometimes broke in half (probably Bakelite)  when they fell on the floor.  So the experiment never got past a few trail strikes.

Maybe they're back at it again? With the price of oil and so petro-chemicals, it still might not be feasible. 

[scottishmoney]

My kids have brought them home from school, they use them to teach them using money(like they wouldn't know already )

[Paint Your Wagon]

Over here many states are asking to retire the 1 and 2 cent coins
Of course that would make everything more expensive with 5 cents the lowest coin
In the meantime when I buy something on the saturday market place they want there one or two cents the
weighing calculating balance is showing