I have this 82 penny its zinc not to special but then it got these 2 small indentions on the back. I Also I have a nickle but cant find it atm. I thought it was nothing but then i found the nickle. Any opinions would be appreciated.
No. It's damage. Read some of the threads here on this very subject and you will understand why it is impossible for your coin to be a RTM. Try the search box, Rockwell, Rockwell Test Marks, etc.
I hate to be the bearer of negative news. I like seeing folks interested in collecting. So I rather hate to say this.... Personally speaking, I see the Rockwell test divots as a dream conjured up by some bored YouTube video hacks. I would surmise that the divots in your cent are much more likely caused by a kid with his new Red Rider BB gun.
I mean, it perfectly well could be a Rockwell hardness test. The divot is about the right size. The cent is a known composition and widely available. It's quite plausible that a material's lab could have their students test a dozen pennies and write a report. That seems like a very easy test for a science class (in fact, I did exactly this experiment in college). Often when we see these sorts of mutilated pennies we attribute them to malice. But we forget that the "penny" is a well standardized unit of known weight, measure, and composition. Science classes are built around testing these sorts of things, to expose students to various testing methods. There are literally billions of cents minted every year, and they make an easy and cheap source for a science class. Also..... I'm not sure some of you folks know what a "Rockwell" test is. This is definitely not something the mint does on manufactured coins (it might do it during testing.... but not a routine test on production coins). The "Rockwell" test is a test of the hardness of a material, rated 1-10. It uses a punch to make a divot in a material (Rockwell hardness uses a round punch as shown here, Brinell uses a cone shaped punch). Something like lead will be a very soft material and make a very large punch; something like diamond is a very hard material and will leave almost no trace at all (rated 10). A copper cent is a generally soft material, and will thus leave a fairly large divot. Thus, in my opinion, it is highly plausible that the marks shown here are Rockwell hardness tests. However, they are of course post-mint damage and utterly worthless. It's just important you know what the OP is talking about.
It's impossible his coin has RTM. You are contradicting yourself. If I recall from the other threads on this, the marks were smaller, in a different location, the marks were covered, and the coins were not put into circulation. Even if you thought you had such a coin, no TPG will certify an RTM. There's no way to prove it even if you have one. Which no one does.
I'm not saying this was made at the mint - I'm saying that someone may have performed a hardness test in a science class. There are some cents which have been authenticated as having test marks made by the mint, but this is not one of them. I'm saying this coin is post-mint damage. See the post here for an example of test marks made intentionally by someone in their shop: http://goccf.com/t/237597&whichpage=6#2005785
Is it possible it was the result of a Rockwell test ? Maybe. Is it probable ? Not likely. But either way the bottom line is, it doesn't matter. And other than being a very minor curiosity, nobody should even care.
