I'm not very experienced in coin collecting especially when it comes to errors and the like. So I would appreciate some help with these coins. I don't remember when I found these but I saved them because they looked a bit different, there's two cents and a dime. First is a 1987 D cent. Just seems to have an odd texture to it. Maybe I'm just seeing things here. then there is this 1996 D. Has some odd very small bumps on it. and finally the dime, which has some odd copper colored areas on it.
First Two are just plating blisters. Second one is staining from the environment. Plating blisters are a type of error found exclusively on copper-plated zinc Lincoln cents produced from 1982 to the present. These blisters form during the striking process when expanding gas, generated by heat and pressure, pushes up the copper plating. For plating blisters to occur, there must be a weak bond between the copper plating and the zinc core, often due to contaminants within or under the plating. Key points about plating blisters: - Types: Blisters can be circular or linear. Linear blisters often run parallel to planchet striations. - Appearance: They are hollow and should not be confused with solid blisters caused by subsurface corrosion (zinc rot). - Formation: The blisters form as gas expands beneath the copper layer during striking, lifting the plating. - Common examples: Coins from various years, such as 1984, 1985, 1992, 1995, 1996-D, 2007, and 1986-D, have shown both circular and linear blisters. - Distinguishing from corrosion: Solid blisters from corrosion are caused by gas under expanding metal, often due to a tear in the copper plating that allows oxygen to reach the zinc core.
What Sal said. Not a mint error and only worth face value. The first coin you posted could be saved as a training coin for the plating issue.
Thank you for not posting this thread in the What's it Worth forum! There are many new collectors who are more concerned about value, premiums and striking it rich than actually learning what the issues are. The truth is that many issues that you will find in circulation have very little or no extra value at all
The following is entirely my own personal opinion. If you are planning on collecting CPZ cents, beware of these: Also more helpful info: Many that look brand new actually are poor strikes or the result of overused dies. They were produced from a bad medium and the contractors who supplied the Mint with the planchets never got it right over 43 years. Finding good ones from circulation gets harder every year because they have a proclivity to disintegrate. This represents a humongous challenge. 2025 was the last year, but they are still making 2026 cents, using better planchets for inclusion in collector sets. IMO…Spark
