Error Other | Squiggly line for a 1 in date of 1988

[Sheila ruley]

Can you tell if it took a hit? I can't see any hit marks or scratches near the number 1.

[willbrooks]

That coin isn't long for the world. The plating is rupturing. The displaced metal is either from a hit or from the plating blistering upward. Hard to tell from the photo. It definitely is NOT a mint error, though.

[Sheila ruley]

I didn't figure a mint error. I was just curious about what would have caused that. Lol, it look weird.

[willbrooks]

I looked again, and going by the shadows, I really think the plating is blistered up right at that spot warping the number. Someday it will look like this.

Zinc Rot: Zinc corrodes easily when exposed to the environment. When the plating is split on a copper-plated zinc cent, the zinc will often corrode under the plating, and push up on it creating a bigger and bigger fissure. Due to the strength of many of the hand-punched mint marks on pre-1990 business strike cent dies, this is a very common place on Lincoln cents for the plating to split and for this corrosion to take place.

[Sheila ruley]

Thank you very much for explaining that.

[jfines69]

That is cool looking... It may well be zinc rot (Will knows more than I do) but to me it looks more like a hit with displaced metal... Just to the west north west are 2 lines running mostly north/south from a hit... There are also some on the jacket... On the first close up I see what also appears to be some lines running mostly west/east into the 1 but the pic is a little to blurry to tell for sure... The 1 looks like a shrimp deviener/peeler Did you check the rev to ensure it has the correct RDV???

[Sheila ruley]

Yes, it is fine. I don't see anything wrong with it.

[jfines69]

Ok... Not sure if you were aware that some 1988 Lincolns were minted using the rev dies for the 1989 Lincolns... 1988 had RDV-005 and the 1989 had RDV-006!!!

[Sheila ruley]

Yes, I am aware of that. I know the 1988 is worth more than the 1989.

[jfines69]

Ok... Thanks for the reply!!!