It's been a while since I've posted anything, so I decided to ask this question. As I was roll hunting pennies yesterday, I came across this 1998 penny with damage.
I'm fairly positive this is PMD. My question is, what would cause this damage to a penny? I've never seen or heard of a piece of a penny literally "breaking" off. It appears to have snapped off somehow. Any ideas?
Additional Information:
If you can't clearly see it on the images, the edge where the piece appears to have "snapped" off is very jagged. It isn't a clean cut. The rest of the coin is not bent or mis-shapen in any way. Also, the white substance coming from the broken area is not on the coin... it appears to be "in" the coin. The copper plating seems to "fold over" and "flake" near the edges of the white on the Reverse.
It is possible that when the forming of the metals that dirt was still in the mix...I once bought a gold chain that started to break apart just like this penny..The Jewelery store explained that this sometimes happens ..
Would this be the zinc core corroding, I think it turns white when it corrodes , and I believe it corrodes very easily and quickly with moisture, a pinhole or scratch through the copper plating and it wouldn't take too long for this to happen.
"Discovery follows discovery, each both raising and answering questions, each ending a long search, and each providing the new instruments for a new search." -- J. Robert Oppenheimer
Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited. Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use