Coins are made of different materials, which is why some are magnetic, and others aren't. The most common metal in coins is copper, which is not magnetic. Other metals commonly used in coins, such as aluminum and nickel, are not magnetic. However, some coins do contain magnetic metals such as iron and steel.
In 1943, some pennies in the United States were made with steel. These old pennies still stick to a magnet. A magnet's force, called magnetism, attracts the metal nickel. But there isn't enough of it in U.S. nickels for a magnet to stick to those coins.
When plated steel coins are attached to a magnet, the coins themselves become magnetised as the magnetic force travels through them. With a strong enough magnet you're able to attach coins to each other and 'dangle' them and some amazing feats of balance and ingenuity can be achieved.
The 10, 20 and 50 cent coins have no magnetic properties. The 1, 2 and 5 cent coins have a strong magnetism all over their surface.
There is one notable difference. Copper-plated coins are attracted to magnets because of the iron content of the steel core, whereas bronze coins are not magnetic. In 1998, 2p coins were struck in both copper-plated steel and bronze.
The easiest way to determine if a 1943 cent is made of steel, and not copper, is to use a magnet. If it sticks to the magnet, it is not copper. If it does not stick, the coin might be of copper and should be authenticated by an expert.
"Silver is not noticeably magnetic, and exhibits only weak magnetic effects unlike iron, nickel, cobalt, and the like," says Martin. "If your magnet sticks strongly to the piece, it has a ferromagnetic core and is not silver." Fake silver or silver-plated items are generally made of other metals.
While nickel is magnetic, all US nickels are actually only 25% nickel. The rest is non-magnetic copper. The small amount of nickel in US coins is unlikely potent enough to be attracted to even a magnet-fishers magnet.
Pure gold on its own cannot stick to a magnet. However, if you have an alloy of gold, then it could stick to a magnet. An example of a gold alloy that may stick to a magnet is gold with over 20% of its atoms replaced by iron.
Since 1992, coins have been made with steel, which is magnetic. (Pre-1992 coins are made out of bronze, which will not attract.) The dangling shows us how magnetic force travels through some metals, in this case coins (coins become magnetised when they attach) but gets weaker with each one.
If you have a strong enough magnetic field all matter is magnetic. But copper is so weakly magnetic that we can't observe it without very, very large magnetic fields. So the short answer is "No, copper isn't magnetic." This can quickly be tested by trying to pick up a penny with a magnet.
Are There Any Coins (Besides The 1943 Steel Cent) That Are Magnetic? The 1943 steel cent is the only regular-issue United States coin that contains enough iron to be magnetic. While nickel is also magnetic, there isn't enough nickel in standard United States coins to make them magnetic.
A 1958 Lincoln, Doubled Die Obverse cent sold in a GreatCollections auction has become the first Lincoln cent and first non-gold 20th century coin to sell for more than a million dollars. Still don't understand why that would make it super-valuable?
In other countries, such as Canada and Great Britain, many coins are made from magnetic metals like steel and nickel. In Canada, for example, many of the coins minted since 2000, including the 1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 25 cent, and 50 cent coins, are made from steel and are, therefore, magnetic.
The answer is paper clips. Explanation: Most metals are attracted by magnets. But as paper clips are made of paper, they won't be attracted by magnets.
Neodymium magnets are very strong and can help to test the authenticity of gold and silver bars, coins, bullion, or jewelry.
Many common metals such as aluminum, copper, brass, gold, silver, titanium, tungsten, and lead are not ferromagnetic. They cannot be made into magnets and will not be attracted to magnetic fields.
Here's the magic part (drumroll please). If a penny sticks to the magnet, check the date. A 1943 circulated penny that sticks is worth 10 cents or so.
If the coin sticks to the magnet, it's made of steel and worth about 10 cents. If the penny does not stick to the magnet, you've got one.
Due to the scarcity of copper during the war, these pennies were made of zinc-coated steel instead of the usual copper composition. The result was the 1943 steel penny, which was produced for only one year and has since become a rare and valuable coin.