I have an 1872 Indian Head cent and I would like to know what is wrong with the reverse. Only the reverse is pictured because the front is perfectly fine and is XF codition but the back?
Was it like that before going into a 2x2 or you don't know? I always wonder about coins stored long-term in 2x2, whether a very small amount of corrosion on the coin could somehow spread. I'm thinking a reaction between the coin corrosion and 2x2 plastic that happened over a long period of time? Not sure. Or maybe just a little corrosion only on the reverse, but had nothing to do with the 2x2- coin could have been in dirt with the OBV facing up.
Being stored in an old album may be the explanation. If the cardboard isn't carefully made to be non-reactive then it probably contains some acid, which reacts with the coin to produce the corrosion. I pulled some State Quarters off of a display board not long ago to find that the backs and rims were turning blue-green.
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