I've been rubbing this shell w a bit of saliva and rubbing it w my fingers to get it to tarnish or darken? It's like Mardi Gras made a pretty penny. I need a regular looking one.

I ordered this shell, assuming I would need to shim it myself as the description said nothing about it being shimmed or made using a ferrous metal.

It appears to be made of a ferrous metal that is highly attracted to magnets. Seriously, there's a clink even with the Raven.

It's also very, very bright. Side-by-side you can tell a significant difference between this and a real penny - even a brand new penny. I'll try carrying it around with some pocket change for a while to see if that helps the appearance.

The nice thing about the magnetic expanded is that you can do a denomination change or a profound "aged to shiny" penny in the blink of an eye. Sounds simple, but it's a great opener.
This one already comes with a perfect patina.