1983 Error Penny

Some of you might remember when I tried to post pictures of this penny last year before I purchased a USB Microscope.

Here's a retry on the same coin.

It isn't deterioration. If you notice the 9 and the 8 in the date the extra copper drapes over them. there is no deterioration anywhere on the rest of the coin.

 

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Not an expert on coins by any means but it appears to be burned in
Post mint?? Just my opinion!!

 

I'm no expert either, just looks like a ladies bra hanging off the date to me.

 

Hard to say on this one, as I am no error coin collector, but would not think something like that would come from the mint, but you never know. I'd say have it graded, see what the experts say about it.

Regards,
Stan

 

Yeah, it is very unusual. I have alot of unusuals. Sometimes when I think about all the rolls I have searched and how I am still learning about the different varieties it makes me wonder how many I tossed back into the pond that were keepers.

 

Looks like a bad case of surface corrosion to me. Zinc rot. Very common in 1983 Cents.

 

Any other time that would make sense and you're right, the 1983's do have alot of Zinc Rot as well as alot that followed ( from my experiences ) and believe me I have seen alot of them but this coin has no rot anywhere on it , Obverse and Reverse and this little whatever it is rest on the surface as well as on the date and has the exact same tone as the date. The pictures do not do it justice. I'll try to get some more interesting shots today.

 

Those dark areas you see in the folds of the extra metal are not there, that is something the picture added from the shading. the whole extra piece of metal is clean and corrosion free.

 

It looks like a plating bubble, try poking it with a toothpick, it should collapse, unless it's solid metal, then you have a struck-through or a die chip.

 

Yea, they told me to poke it last time I posted it, you can't, it's solid. Believe me, I proded and poked at it, it's as solid as the date. I know about corrosion on these dates and it is not corrosion. I wouldn't waste anyone's time on here if it were.

The strands of copper/zinc that drape on top of the 9 and the 8 rest on them and you can see under each strand the side of the number. If it were corrosion this wouldn't be possible.

Mind Boggling

 

sorry

 

Sorry but it is just rot (corrosion), despite what others might think

 

I'm going to agree with Bill here.

Mytwocents said;
"I don't think it's corrosion,i have to say very strange,the object is raised could it be a strike through,not sure? i go along with captainkirk,possible die chips."
lance


Not a struck through it would be incuse.

 

It is corrosion plain and simple seen it 10,000 times don't even think about getting it graded just save it has an example of zinc rot, bubbled up plating.
Though so very common some can be eye catching as this one is.

Was that comment nicer, kinder, and more comforting???

 

I appreciate it but, I have to stick with it not being corrosion. If you could see what I see under a microscope you might agree. There is not breaks in the surface of the coin around or under the additional metal ( or any where else on the coin). All of the dark areas you see on the pictures are not there, that is shadowing from the USB microscope being the cheapest on the market. Someday I'll get a better one.

I've seen corrosion 10,000 times too, I've searched penny rolls everyday for the last two years and believe me, like I said, I wouldn't be wasting anyone's time with it if it were even remotely close to being corrosion.

 

Okay so be it.
I went and looked at the photos again carefully.
So if it's not a form of zinc rot, plating lift, corrosion, what is it?

We have to go by what we learn and know and finally "the minting process", right?

So we have a 1983 copper coated zinc cent right? We know that the first 3 to 5 years there were a lot of problems with the coatings adhering properly right and tons in the first full year to say the least right?

We know it (the raised area) does not in size or shape resemble a letter or number so it's 99% sure it's not a dropped letter right?

It's not portion of another design element as it really looks kind of random in shape and configuration right?

We know that if (as it is big and raised, noticable) it not most likely a portion of the finished working die or working hubb as it would have been caught, right?

It's not in any way associated with any kind of mechanical doubling right?

It's not a post mint addition as it is to cleanly placed right between the date's numbers and disturbed (very little) no other devices, right? It could possibly be a small piece of metal, or staple that was stuck to the zinc core and then coated with copper I guess but if so it would never appear this high and rasied. The very fact that it has peaks and valleys suggest it is coming from below, underneath and pushing up - a small metal piece would not be capible of doing that right?

Finally we can think of no other portion of the minting process that could have caused this, right?
And if nothing we can think of in the minting process, AND a first year copper coated zinc planchet then what most likley is it?

I hope that was nice, not to blunt and friendly, probing but kind, poitically correct and not rude and oh so very nice,

 

Not to mention it made me laugh. But, I have a question. Why couldn't it be a dropped number?

It might be alittle distorted but it could be the letter say " 8" alittle mangled . or a " 3" .

 

Wrong, the die chipping COULD cause what we are seeing, raised solid irregular lumps.

 

You know I think your right, it could have but it would not be a chip in this case but the beggining of a die break, yet anyway a small fissure (die crack) could do this, your right.
I don't think it did though as it would be very rare to be so finely detailed but it's possible, maybe.
It still does not over-shawdow the most likely cause though and really does not look like it should if that were the case.

 

Here's some more pictures, I cleaned it up some more.