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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;foundinrolls, post: 676167, member: 4350&quot;]The problem here is that there is no minting process that can cause this.&nbsp; Offering that as an explanation is not solid and if you think about it,&nbsp; anything that is based upon something other than fact is a guess.&nbsp; Since you can&#039;t base your theory on fact,&nbsp; it has to, by definition be a guess.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The one part of the minting process that has a role in this is the fact that cents are made of copper-plated zinc since the time of a composition change in 1982.&nbsp; When they are struck, the dies can actually penetrate the copper plating leaving microsopic pores on the surface of the coin through which environmental factors can enter.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Zinc, being highly corrosive begins to decompose.&nbsp; It forms raised lines, spots, circles,&nbsp; you name it...under the surface of the plating.&nbsp; There are numerous examples of this in pictures on these forums.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The next thing that happens which was mentioned in another response is that human beings are trained to make sense of what they see.&nbsp; So, if a person sees a lump of rot that looks like a 4 on a coin, by gosh,&nbsp; they are going to say it&#039;s a 4.&nbsp; Following that bad assumption will be an attempt, often without facts, to make what is seen fit some picture of how it could happen.&nbsp; The fact that the scenario painted,&nbsp; or even in this case,&nbsp; NOT painted is impossible doesn&#039;t enter in the equation.&nbsp; It truly is the imagination working overtime.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Minting process includes a finite set of circumstances starting from the design phase and ending with the struck coins.&nbsp; There is not one step of the process, that can create this on this particular coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>Guesses are often made by persons with no real information pertaining to how a coin is made but knowing how a coin is made is vital when determining what a coin has or does not have on it. </p><p><br /></p><p>A coin that has an unusual spot of rot, by the way, is not an error even if the spot of rot looks odd.&nbsp; \</p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks,</p><p>Bill[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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