This coin is damaged and worn but it seems to be made of mostly copper it is light and rings with a copper tone.Why does a 2002 Lincoln cent appears to be light and mostly copper? Any information is Greatly Appreciated
Like all post-1982 cents, it is plated in copper over a zinc core. That's what's corroding and causing the pitting on the reverse. Zinc is a cheap, nasty metal to make coins with. The outer copper shell usually prevents it from corroding most of the time, but if that ever gets compromised over time, as happened here, the exposed zinc corrodes and gives it this appearance. Not a pretty sight.
