Around 1990 after hearing and reading about problems zinc 1c Lincoln's were giving the Mint. Were there any articles written or posted on internet as to how rare finding a MS70 circulated 1c zinc penny will become? Making it the prized collectable among circulated pennies from the Mint after its introduction and value of varieties other than those known to be low in number and MS would be the only errors that would be comparable in value to the perfect 1c ZINC Lincoln? I know how collectors that have been in the hobby or business before the introduction of the 1c zinc feel the problems with plating, zinc deterioration feel that what use to be a joy turned into a nightmare with all the problems I have read about on this forum. The true collectable and when finding one that is of grade quality would make collecting Lincoln penny enjoyable, easier and bring focus for beginners like myself. IMHO only
MS70 doesn't happen really. in any of the circulation strikes. Pre-zincolns didn't reach MS70 either. I think it's like a dozen of the W cents that came free with the mint set, and bullion silver eagles and that's it. Probably would have been a Jefferson nickel if they hadn't killed that circulation finish one in 2020. I guess, the point is, it's extremely rare in the first place with the exception of bullion silver eagles and now the W freebie lincoln cents.
I'm hoping grading companies will reevaluate for the zinc given it's properties that result in anomalies even in proof process. I can only imagine the number of anomalies even with dies that were just installed or replaced during minting for circulated coins.
Theres no 70s in copper cents either. They evaluate everything for what it is people just don’t realize how hard it is to find some of these top grades like a 68 for moderns. A lot of people assume every circulation thing is a 68 or. 69 off the bat and the reality is that it couldn’t be further from the truth. Most will be under 65/66 from the second they were created.