An impressive guide book variety with a wide spread on the reverse legends and on the horizontal lines of the Memorial. Die polish lines on each side of the portrait suggest mint personnel concentrated on the appearance of the wrong die. The peach-gold surfaces are devoid of contact or carbon. States of is slightly incomplete and a few tiny bubbles reside beneath the copper plate. NGC population of 9 in MS68 with none higher. This is a DDR 1 and is a result of a class IV doubling, or "offset hub doubling" which causes the image too shift vertically. This one is in my collection. Thanks too @robec for the great pictures
What makes those dimples all over the coin? Lincoln inside the Memorial is barely visible. Cool looking coin.
They are plating bubble or blisters - the copper plating separates from the zinc core. They were still learning how to make these planchets back then. Actually for a 1983, this one is extremely clean. Nice coin, BTW.
Super example! N1 Joe! I can tell it has blazing luster. You can see the rev STATES weakness in the shoulder opposite that area. Just not enough metal to fill the dies. 83's are generally horrible for that along with bubbles and straining.
I say the following as someone who doesn't collect these and doesn't get excited by pop top coins. Great looking, but this would be a coin I would be very nervous to own. Yes, it's 32 years old, but the bubbles really worry me with respect to the future appearance of the coin. Will they eventually be breached by corroding zinc? Will they grow over the next 20 years? Will the overall eye-appeal suddenly tank as a result, causing it to be unsalable as a 68? How much humidity does it take to turn one of these into a self-destructing galvanic battery. Bottom line: Is this coin (and other Zincoln pop tops with it) a ticking time bomb regardless of bubbles?
I'd think with proper storage , silica gels and other precautions it should be fine . But I'm not a chemist so maybe Bad Thad or Desert Gem could chime in .
I love love love that coin! But you have valid concerns. No one knows yet if any of these extraordinary MS zincolns are ticking time bombs with the way some have shown what they can become once their plating is breached. I have some slabbed zincolns and they are beauties. I like to think they will always be.
All my coins are stored in NGC boxes inside a humidity controlled secured storage and so far no issues as too toning or burst bubbles, etc.
If it were mine I'd use the Intercept Shield slab holders and then the slab holder storage box . It may be overkill , for such a nice coin it would be well worth it to me . But a slabbed coin in a humidity controlled area should be more than enough .
So, how do the TPGs account for the bubbling or do they just accept it as part of the normal striking process and not penalize the coin? To be honest, I was surprised to see the coin in a 68RD slab with the bubbles, but as others have said, I have seen far worse. Regardless, it is a nice coin.
Personally, I don't think they consider the bubbles that much. Also, with these rare varieties, I believe they use an internal comparison to previously graded coins to decide the top-pops.....whether it's from pictures or experience, I think it can influence the grade. I don't how else to explain how normal coins of the same issue can be of apparent higher quality but have a lesser grade than a variety....but it seems to happen. Maybe Joe can chime in with his observations.
