What Am I Seeing?

I received this in change about a week ago. It's been soaking in acetone which took a lot of the gunk off. The coin is Zinc, 2001-D, and you can see white metal in a few places on the reverse as the reverse is terrible compared to the obverse.

There are numerous places that you can see zinc rot at work. One of them poor old Abe can see as it's right in front of him. There's Zinc rot on the date and mintmark as well.

What I don't understand is that large gouge at 3:00. It's large and deep. No signs of displaced metal as in PMD. On a Zinc Cent that should be white from the metal under the copper coating. It's completely covered in copper. No sign of damage. I'm thinking a planchet flaw. Can anyone confirm or deny? Please state your reasoning.

Thank you.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Can we see a picture of the reverse?

 

As long as the edge was not pushed past where the collar kept it in place, my best guess is a strike through that simply pushed the copper plating down and kept it intact so the zinc would not be pushing out or showing. The first two pics with shadows kind of makes it look like there is a bulge but I don't see that in the last photo. Some stray metal chips could have been the source of a possible strike through that deep.

 

Thanks Tommy. For some strange reason a strike though never entered my mind. I must be tired but I'll not admit to getting old. Lol

 

In your second photo, it appears the edge at the gouge is pushed out, making me think it was struck by something post mint that pushed the copper layer down with it. JMO.

 

Bitvtje next photo shows the rim. Being zinc and with no white metal showing I think Tommy's explanation is probably correct, a struck through.

 

Nice find bud!! Can we see the reverse???

 

Here's the reverse. Sorry it took so long.

 

I’m leaning to PMD. The reverse damage is awfully close to the obverse location. Need a rim photo in that location. I pick up pennies that have been taped to cardboard and shot with .22’s at my local shooting range (?) that have little to no metal movement and no zinc exposure but are domed. I’ll try to find one in my horrible hoard and post a picture.

 

That gouge on the reverse 2 somethin and almost 4.
Changing my thoughts PMD.

 

The reverse does have PMD but it also has lots of nice Zinc rot. The PMD is minor. The obverse shows no signs of damage, no zinc shows, no scrapes cuts or bruises. It's clean.

Looking at the area in question on the obverse a cut that deep would leave zinc exposed and you could see where metal has been relocated. None of that is present. I was thinking a planchet flaw but I'm inclined to go with what Tommy said, a strike though.