The obverse has what looks like letters/partial letters at and above date, maybe a "y" and a "T". I don't even know what to call the rest of the over and around Lincoln's head.
First year of Zinc cents were a disaster, very hard to find undamaged in circulation. They also did not store well in paper wrappers and turned black or were heavily spotted.
Strangely enough, the mint choose two metals, zinc and copper, that produce a strong galvanic reaction when there's a solution to transfer electrons. So if there's a hole in the copper plating and moisture present, copper can 'steal' an electron from zinc, which then reacts w/oxygen to produce white zinc oxide--often used for pigments and sunblock. Since ZnO takes up more room than zinc alone, and does absorb water vapor, it pushes up the copper plating which eventually becomes a crater, speeding up the reaction further. Ironically, coins of zinc such as past wartime issues in Europe, without any copper plating...last longer. Correct me if any science trivia is wrong.
I see what you mean. They do look kind of like letters but it's just Simulcrum - a slight, unreal, or vague semblance of something; superficial likeness. And that was the definition of the word
Thank you all. Even though it is junk, I love it when I at least am told it is junk rather than no response at all. I learning something that way.
