Tiffybaby Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 (edited) I'm trying to figure out why it looks as if the penny was "skinned" for lack of a better word. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Edited April 18 by Tiffybaby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Welcome to the forum. If by “skinned” you mean the missing metal on the right front of Monticello, that is the result of zinc rot. Your coin has a zinc core that is plated with (mostly) copper. When the plating gets a nick or scratch, the zinc inside is exposed to the air, and starts to corrode. That often causes more of the plating to flake off, exposing even more of the core, and perpetuating the process. This is very common on damaged cents minted after the composition was changed in 1982. powermad5000 and Mike Meenderink 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiffybaby Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 Ok. Thank you for answering. I greatly appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powermad5000 Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 Hello and welcome to the forum! It looks to me like it possibly had some plating blisters to begin with that actually broke open exposing the zinc core to rot in agreeance with @Just Bob as is common with these cents having years in circulation and questionable history with exposure to environmental damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Neophyte Numismatist Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 (edited) Agree that this is a damaged zinc Lincoln cent. This only correction is that the reverse shows the Lincoln Memorial, not Monticello. @Just Bob is a much better numismatist than I am, so please don't consider this any discount to his ability. He knows his stuff. Edited April 18 by The Neophyte Numismatist powermad5000 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhiladelphiaPenny Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 The others are correct. To me however, it almost looms like this coin might have been cleaned? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiffybaby Posted April 18 Author Share Posted April 18 Cleaned? This is the way that received it from the store. Is cleaning chamge bad from a collectors standpoint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandon Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On 4/18/2024 at 12:51 PM, Tiffybaby said: Is cleaning change bad from a collectors standpoint? The term "cleaning" refers to nearly any chemical or abrasive process that affects the surface of a coin, even wiping the coin with a cloth. Today's collectors regard "cleaning" as an impairment that makes the coin less desirable and, therefore, less valuable. Coins can be "conserved" using solvents such as acetone that remove surface dirt without affecting the coin's surface and purportedly with processes used by experts. A circulated, damaged 1984 cent is worth only face value whether it has been "cleaned" or not. Coinbuf 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhiladelphiaPenny Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On 4/18/2024 at 12:51 PM, Tiffybaby said: Cleaned? This is the way that received it from the store. Is cleaning chamge bad from a collectors standpoint? Cleaned coins, as @Sandon said are coins that have been modified abrasively on the surface. Cleaned coins aren't exactly "bad", but there not "good" either. As for you getting it from the store, it still could have been cleaned in it's life. Heck, maybe somebody used it for a school project. The only reason I suggested it being cleaned is the pits in it's surface. I've seen those on cleaned coins, they usually are hiding beneath corrosion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VKurtB Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 (edited) On 4/18/2024 at 12:52 PM, ThePhiladelphiaPenny said: Cleaned coins, as @Sandon said are coins that have been modified abrasively on the surface. Cleaned coins aren't exactly "bad", but there not "good" either. As for you getting it from the store, it still could have been cleaned in it's life. Heck, maybe somebody used it for a school project. The only reason I suggested it being cleaned is the pits in it's surface. I've seen those on cleaned coins, they usually are hiding beneath corrosion. This is true but 1984 cents were particularly prone to blistering (even very tiny ones) of the copper plating. Blisters eventually become holes, which then become craters. Only truly obsessive storage care can delay the damage. Edited April 18 by VKurtB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On 4/18/2024 at 7:47 AM, The Neophyte Numismatist said: Agree that this is a damaged zinc Lincoln cent. This only correction is that the reverse shows the Lincoln Memorial, not Monticello. @Just Bob is a much better numismatist than I am, so please don't consider this any discount to his ability. He knows his stuff. Did I really call the Lincoln memorial Monticello? I must be slipping. Thanks for the correction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Neophyte Numismatist Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On 4/18/2024 at 3:12 PM, Just Bob said: Did I really call the Lincoln memorial Monticello? I must be slipping. Thanks for the correction. No worries. Never for a second did I think you were legitimately confused. I attribute it to being late and working fast. Just wanted the OP to know you are solid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhiladelphiaPenny Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On 4/18/2024 at 2:17 PM, VKurtB said: This is true but 1984 cents were particularly prone to blistering (even very tiny ones) of the copper plating. Blisters eventually become holes, which then become craters. Only truly obsessive storage care can delay the damage. Good to know. Thank you @VKurtB. Can someone explain why these mostly zinc to copper cents blister in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coinbuf Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On 4/18/2024 at 1:25 PM, ThePhiladelphiaPenny said: Good to know. Thank you @VKurtB. Can someone explain why these mostly zinc to copper cents blister in the first place? I do not recall the exact terminology, but it happens because of the heat that is generated at the time of the strike. That creates an air bubble between the zinc core and the copper plating. There is a better more in-depth explanation that I read once, just don't remember where I read that at. Mike Meenderink and ThePhiladelphiaPenny 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandon Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 See https://www.error-ref.com/?s=plating+blisters for an explanation of the cause of plating blisters on copper plated zinc cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhiladelphiaPenny Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 On 4/18/2024 at 4:44 PM, Sandon said: See https://www.error-ref.com/?s=plating+blisters for an explanation of the cause of plating blisters on copper plated zinc cents. Awesome, thanks! I guess I'm still learning something new everyday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiffybaby Posted April 19 Author Share Posted April 19 You all have been very helpful and informative. I appreciate all the info. I never realized there was so much involving coins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powermad5000 Posted April 19 Share Posted April 19 On 4/18/2024 at 11:51 AM, Tiffybaby said: Cleaned? This is the way that received it from the store. Is cleaning chamge bad from a collectors standpoint? Yes. It is bad. NEVER clean your coins! Also understand that while you may have received a coin, any coin can be cleaned and any coin with a number of decades of circulation has a chance of it being cleaned long before you obtained it. I personally don't think the coin in this thread was cleaned. The copper plating doesn't necessarily turn chocolate brown all at once. ThePhiladelphiaPenny 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
