These are three versions of the date/mm, regular, black and white, and a negative of the black and white. Do you see a mm that is D/S too? I have not seen any like this before.
I tried standing on my head to look at the up-side-down photos and got a headache. My guess is it is a die chip. It would be highly unlikely the coin is a D/S because dies that were punched with an 'S' mintmark were made only for Proof coins. I doubt any Proof dies were repunched to be used in Denver to produce Business Strikes in 1984 (although stranger things have happened).
sorry about the upside down pictures. I am going to work on some more to hopefully reveal more than a die chip. I'll post them right-side up
THis is post mint damage known a zinc rot. A small break in the copper plating near the mintmark has allowed the zinc below to start rotting. If you look in the archives you should be able to find threads about this where the mintmark has actually fallen off the coin due to the rot. Richard
thank you everyone...another coin to chalk up to "wishful thinking". This coin rot is awful and our newer pennies sure look pretty ugly these days. A good 'ole wheat penny is sure prettier than a new zinc based one.
This is all very interesting as I have a coin very similar... though mine honestly looks like the bottom of another D. However from everything I have read on this coin, it is a zinc die issue.
our cent coins are copper up to 1982 and after that they are junk IMO. It that super thin copper plating gets a tiny break in it before long the coin is gone. I have been finding numerous rotten ones in the bank rolls , I feel so ashamed of them I throw them in the trash. this rotten zinc swells up then totally falls apart.
I have seen lots of these sold on ebay as a double mint mark just because the zinc rots beside the mintmark and swells up the thin copper plating making it appear to be another mint mark.
It may have been a failed attempt at doctoring the coin. There seems to be a lot of other unusual stuff going on around that part of the mint mark that is not evident on other parts of the surfaces shown.
