Just pondering this a bit more in light of the additional photos.
A key document for understanding the zinc cents is the Final Report, Alternative Metals Study (for circulating coinage), submitted to the US Mint by Concurrent Technologies Corporation under Contract Number TM-HQ-11-C-0049, 2012. It is available online. In Section 1.1, Introduction, Objectives, Alloy Design and Selection: Introduction and Background, at page 1 it says:
Leading up to the alloy change made in the one-cent coin in 1982, copper prices were high enough that the intrinsic value of copper in a one-cent coin exceeded its face value of 1.0 cents. In response, the United States Mint developed and began to produce one-cent coins with a zinc alloy core (Zn alloy A190; composition Zn-0.8%Cu) that was electroplated with a nominal 8 microns of copper.
That's an extremely thin plating layer. There is some indication that the plating may have been increased after the date of the report.
The partial final "S" in STATES is well struck, but there appears to be shearing/tearing and separation of the plating layer at the edge, and I can't see any part of the "S" struck in the metal beneath that tear.
The plating layer is separated from the surface, but the depression in the coin is plated. We know that the Type 2 planchets are prepared by ARTAZN and delivered to the mint, and were already plated and annealed before delivery.
I come back to questions, but I don't have any answers.
I'm thinking this is Mike Diamond time.
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Posted 03/13/2025 3:59 pm
