Is there such a thing as copper eating worms? 1817 large cent

This 1817 large cent begged me to purchase it. Did something eat away at this coin or just a talented engraver?

 

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"Is there" Stupid autocorrect.

 

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I don't know but if there was I'd probably give them a try bass fishing lol.

 

Martin Luther would have upchucked......

Late die state Mega? Be genital (gental?) (gentle), as I'm still learning.

 

Pardon the 'burp'.........

 

Cupromites.........copper termites!

Chris

 

Acid?

 

Are those lines typical of how the Mint intentionally defaced dies when a die cracked, or when production was completed? Would pieces of wire adhering to the dies cause such an effect?

 

Have you tried scanning it with a Sonic Screwdriver?

 

at last! A good reason NOT to collect copper!

 

Once I receive the coin I will weigh it to see if it has been cast.

 

I purchased a large old collection of coins that had been improperly stored for 40 years in a basement and a barn. Some had been coated with shellac or varnish that was cracked allowing verdigris to form on the exposed surfaces. This coin looks like some of the worthless coins I experimented on. I first removed the shellac or varnish with acetone then treated the verdigris with zinc chloride (commercial solder flux) liquid which attacked the copper oxides (verdigris) and left hollow places on the surface of the coin that had deep verdigris penetration. Zinc chloride does not attack the copper like an acid would, but leaves the coin with an unnatural shiny surface. Your coin looks similar though appears to have been chemically re-toned with sulfur and then wiped off to appear to have been naturally worn.

 

Was just typing much the same thing. Looks like the coin was coated with something that cracked, then it was attacked with something corrosive.

I could swear I've seen at least one other thread with a coin that showed a pattern like this. It was a few years back. In that thread, I thought the conclusion was that it was attacked through cracks in a coating.

 

Was casting used for contemporary counterfeits?

 

I'm having trouble imagining how defects in a casting mold would produce prominent incuse lines. I can see a cracked mold producing raised lines, but...?

 

Good memory. I recalled the same post because I had responded with the same response.

 

Do you have any photos you can post of this damage?