Token US Miniature Penny 14 Karat Gold 1909 to 1982

Do you know what happened to US one cent coins in 1982? They went from being made of copper to being made of zinc. Very few people knew this occurred, because the mint plated the zinc coins with copper. But post-1982 pennies are worthless, while pre-1982 pennies are worth a few cents each due to copper content.

I don't know if the copper-to-zinc transition spurred the manufacture of this tiny (really tiny) penny imitation, but it might have.

The coin claims to be made of 14 karat gold, and it probably is. But, at a weight of just 0.2 grams, there is not much gold in it. The value of this miniature penny is equal to the value of its gold content.

Let's see. There are 31.1 grams in one troy ounce, so 0.2 grams is 0.2/31.1 = 0.00643 troy ounces. But the 0.2 gram weight is not pure gold. Pure gold is 24 karat, so 14 karat is 14/24 = 0.583 pure gold. Multiply and you get 0.00643 x 0.583 = 0.00375 troy ounces.

With the current gold price of about $1300 US dollars per ounce, the value of this miniature penny would be 0.00375 x 1300 = $4.88 US dollars.

Look up the current value of gold at kitco.com.

Better take your miniature penny to a jeweler and have it tested for gold content. If it is not solid gold, but only gold plated, it is worthless. And even it if is solid gold, it'd barely worth the trip unless you've got more than just one of them!
cqLastNotify