I found this coin (1989 D Lincoln Memorial cent) in my pocket change today. I got it in change from my local grocery store. This may be a common coin to everyone else, but I'm not quite sure what to think of it. First of all it has a bumpy looking surface, and next I tried to indicate (with arrows) where the letters and numbers seem to be pulling away from the metal, the metal underneath seems to be showing through, on the back and front of the coin.
What kind of problem is this, and do people find tons of coins like this in pocket change? This is a first for me, I've been collecting coins as a hobby for many years.
Your cent has gas..... No really, it does. They had a lot of problems with gas bubbles on the zincolns. I'm not sure about the "pulling away" effect. Hopefully someone else will stop by.
The zinc is corroding underneath the copper plating causing the blistered surface. On the lettering, the copper plating was split exposing the zinc core when the coin was struck. Both of these problems add up to zinc rot, an affliction that affected many LMCs in the 80s and into the 90s.
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