Damaged? 2015 Penny ~no Mint Mark - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 11 / Views: 2,088
Coinfusion24 New Member United States 27 Posts	Posted 04/30/2024 8:26 pm I haven't come across this type of damage before and I'm curious of what it could be. It's not a scratch and goes pretty deep into the penny. Kind of looks like it was eaten away by acid or something like that... Report this Post to the Staff

halfamind Pillar of the Community United States 1484 Posts	Posted 04/30/2024 8:27 pm It's a classic case of zinc rot. As they say, spend it while you can. Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfrog Bedrock of the Community United States 94367 Posts	Posted 04/30/2024 8:38 pm to the CCF! Report this Post to the Staff
-makecents- Pillar of the Community United States 8731 Posts	Posted 04/30/2024 8:42 pm Zinc deterioration, nothing special, just what will eventually happen to all copper plated zinc cents. LINK https://www.error-ref.com/zinc-dete...ncoln-cents/ -makecents- Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16808 Posts	Posted 04/30/2024 9:06 pm Post-1982 pennies are made of copper-plated zinc. America uses this composition because zinc is cheap, but zinc is a terrible metal to make coins from because it is highly reactive - you don't even need strong acid, it will literally dissolve in the rain. The copper plating protects it somewhat, but if the plating is stretched thin, worn away, or gets little pinholes in it, then the zinc will rapidly corrode underneath the holes. This is what has happened to your coin. "Zinc rot" is the usual coin collector term for it. And if you want to see more coins that look more or less just like this, then search the forum for "zinc rot", or ask any metal detectorist to show you their penny finds. So in that sense, your initial assumption was correct - it has indeed been "eaten away by acid or something like that" - except the "something like that" was most likely just plain old water. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
Dearborn Moderator United States 94795 Posts	Posted 04/30/2024 9:22 pm ouch - Zinc Rot strikes again... Collecting since 1972. Learning from then on "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin 7070 type set coin count: 51/76 Uncirculated American Silver Eagles My American Silver Eagle Proof Collection Sacagawea Dollars Innovation Dollars Eisenhower-Dollars Kennedy-Half Dollars Washington-Quarters Roosevelt-Dimes Buffalo-Nickels 1938-2005 Jefferson-Nickels Lincoln-Cents Report this Post to the Staff
Errers and Varietys Bedrock of the Community United States 73700 Posts	Posted 04/30/2024 10:31 pm Yep, zinc rot. A spender. Errers and Varietys. Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfusion24 New Member United States 27 Posts	Posted 04/30/2024 11:23 pm That makes slot of sense thanks guys. Just trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can. Report this Post to the Staff
John1 Moderator United States 56855 Posts	Posted 05/01/2024 04:32 am Coinfusion24, Quote: Just trying to soak up as much knowledge as I can. What does no mint mark mean?Just a test John1 Report this Post to the Staff
Earle42 Bedrock of the Community United States 10034 Posts	Posted 05/01/2024 08:43 am Looking for random anomalies on coins and hoping they match up to something collectable will take you a lot more time, wasted effort, and disappointment repeatedly finding out you have nothing but post mint damage, useless Machine Doubling, Die Deterioration, or minor insignificant imperfections (etc.). Spend some initial time at places like error-ref.com, doubleddie.com, varietyvista.com, conecaonline.org, coppercoins.com etc. to find what actual and collectable coin errors look like. A good way to start is, for instance, separate a bunch of pennies by date. Go to varietyvista.com and, date by date, use the reference there to see what errors are known for that specific coin/mint mark. Look for those specific errors/varieties using the pictures provided. After doing this for awhile you will KNOW what an actual error looks like and not have to waste time on face value and damaged coins. :) How much squash could a Sasquatch squash if a Sasquatch would squash squash? Download and read: Grading the graders Costly TPG ineptitude and No FG Kennedy halves https://ln5.sync.com/dl/7ca91bdd0/w...i3b-rbj9fir2 Report this Post to the Staff
Sharks Pillar of the Community Canada 1761 Posts	Posted 05/01/2024 12:17 pm @Coinfusion24 An example of zinc rot. Very common. Report this Post to the Staff
Cujohn Pillar of the Community United States 7174 Posts	Posted 05/01/2024 4:32 pm to the CCF and rot. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 11 / Views: 2,088

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