Hello everybody! Just a disclaimer, I am not a collector. Maybe I should be, because I love old things and I do think collecting is a fun hobby, I'm just not into it right now. That being said, I do know just a little bit about it. I know that error coins and stamps and currency and I assume pretty much anything collectable is sought after as it is unique. So as I was looking through my spare change, I found a 1985 penny. It has some nicks on the edge, and it does happen to be missing the L in Liberty, though I have heard that is a common error, and you can see a slight outline of it. But, there is also a bubble in the penny. Or at least it looks like it. I've looked at it close, and it is to spherical and perfect to be a nick or a scratch or anything. I work with metal and I have worked with molten metal and it looks the exact same as an air bubble in a sand casting. Now I don't know how coins and pennies are minted, so it could just be some weird happenstance. What do all you veteran collectors think?
First off, welcome to CT! Your coin appears to suffer from post mint damage, PMD. It also has zinc rot. This happens when the thin copper platting is breached and the zinc core is exposed to the elements. Here’s a good read. http://www.error-ref.com/?s=Plating+blisters+
Danomite, so is the Zinc rot what that bubble looking thing on the edge is? Just the Zinc weathering away?
I can’t tell exactly from you pictures. I suggest that you take both obverse and reverse pictures directly above the coin, correctly oriented, and crop. Full size. Also post closeups of and areas of question. You will get more responses this way.
DEFDAM - Definitely Damaged. Copper plated zinc cents suffer from different kinds of post mint damage.
