The mint mark had split plating which caused the zinc underneath to become affected. Just Environmental Damage. AKA.. Zinc Rot
Common or not, that's the first one I've ever seen. And exactly the shape of the D. I suggest it's a strong candidate for Show and Tell....of the problem coin variety.
thank you hookman that is what and all I was getting at nothing more I know it's zink rot but really paddyman98, Jcro57 acting like you see this exact zink rot every day and yes I did save it in my I don't know pile of pennies
How else do you want me to act? I just gave you the information that I know. Do you want me to continue helping you.. Or do you want me to stop? Because I know these things and all I'm trying to do is help you understand Here is a definition - Zinc Rot: Zinc corrodes easily when exposed to the environment. When the plating is split on a copper-plated zinc cent, the zinc will often corrode under the plating, and push up on it creating a bigger and bigger fissure. Due to the strength of many of the hand-punched mint marks on pre-1990 business strike cent dies, this is a very common place on Lincoln cents for the plating to split and for this corrosion to take place.
none of those pic's look like the one I posted it's the exact shape of the D and that alone made it interesting to me and wanted to share it with CT, it's way different than the blobs/explosions in the pics you posted it's the first that I have seen that is the exact shape of the D.. most of what I have seen is in the pics your showing me now yes please continue to help me
Yes! I will! Your Mint Mark issue is one of many to have different looks to it. I just gave you 3 examples.
Zinc Rot on Mintmarks all varies (and the rest of the cent). Your "D" is in the rotting process between the images posted from Paddyman. Everyone helping is not going to keep a collection of images to satisfy each and every question they get for an exact duplicate of the question at hand for damage. As damage is unlimited in the end result and zinc rot is a environmental damage process, not a fixed state. Just learn what Zinc Rot is and how it affects post 1982 cents. And understand that the extremely thin electrostatically applied 2.5% copper oblique barrel plating over a zinc core will cause massive amounts of problems with the copper surface once after striking and then circulation. fyi, Zinc has adverse react to water (which is in anything liquid like sweat, etc) ...
Sort of. Zinc is okay in pure water, by itself. But add a bit of salt or something to make the water conductive, and put the zinc in contact with a less-active metal like copper, and it doesn't stand a chance.
cool replies thanks for the info well u would think that they would at least keep the cool ones like this one to show off
This just in: Astronomers have determined that at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy lies an almost unimaginable number of 1983-D Lincoln cents. The resultant "black hole" actually seems to be emitting a sound, similar to someone stuttering a "D" sound. More at 11. We now return you to your previously scheduled completely insipid primetime programming.
FYI - another coin dealer just emailed me a photo of a 1992-D cent that looked almost exactly like the OP's coin - 'zinc rot'
These kind of things are definitely a learning experience, as for keeping a zinc rotten/ corroded or otherwise unsatisfactory coin with my collectible coins? Not a chance ever.