I'm 95% sure your coin has been tampered with outside of the Mint, most likely in a machine shop or high school shop class. For example, I think it would be impossible for the Mint to produce a coin with the bizarre edge that your coin has-- it looks like it has been intentionally shaved. When I was in high school, some of my classmates in shop class would do that sort of thing to a coin and try to sell it to me as an error. Also mint luster can be simulated with a process known as "whizzing". http://reviews.ebay.com/What-is-a-a...0003194675?ssPageName=BUYGD:CAT:-1:LISTINGS:2
Thank you for your thoughtful reply, Collector1966. My grandfather, who amassed the collection of coins in which this particular one was discovered, owned a five and dime store during the thirties and through the late forties. My mother would help out there after school and recalls that whenever he discovered an interesting coin, or one in especially good condition, he would drop it into a certain ceramic jug - like many, you might say he was a particularly casual collector. When the store closed, this jug, along with the excess shop inventory, was stored in my grandparent's attic and remained there until his death in the 70s. When going through his effects my mother re-discovered this cache of coins and then placed them in a safe deposit box for safekeeping...they remained there for the past 40 years or so, up until very recently. While these facts don't rule out the possibility that shaving, or some other sort of PMD, may have occurred back in the forties it completely fails to offer any reasonable explanation for how the luster was since restored...someone would have had to plan and execute the doctoring sometime between 1943 and 1949 and if they had expended so much effort why then spend this coin at the neighborhood five and dime? Do you see what I'm getting at? Because of the coin's history I believe that the odds of it being an actual doctored coin are slim to nil...so, I guess we're back where we started...but I really do appreciate your taking the time to offer a considered opinion. While I still have no idea whether this coin possesses any real value I'll admit I've grown quite curious about its mysterious origins. P.S. I'll admit that I likely have as good a reason as any to attempt a fake error coin at the moment, but I assure you, I haven't been up to anything fishy...lol just thought I'd put that out there.
Simple enough explanation: High school student, after having fun with it in shop class (shaving and wirebrushing it), decides to spend it because it was a considerable amount of money in those days.
Collector, I so wish you could examine this coin first hand... I don't have access to the cell phone camera that I used to take the pics I submitted yesterday or I'd attempt to take better shots of some of the affected areas, but I have uploaded sections of two pics I took yesterday that I initially discarded as too bright. Please take a look at them. One area I wanted to highlight was where the leaves meet the edge of the coin on the obverse - it appears as if they were smeared (for lack of a better word) into the defect...also, note that both pics demonstrate striations (on the right side of both pics) in the same area on opposite sides of the coin -- note that these striations also exist in between the letters of "America" on the reverse.
From my untrained eye...I would say the reverse over "America" looks interesting to say the least. If you feel so strongly about the coin that you simply cannot accept the photographic opines, how about submitting it to either PCGS or NGC? After all, it sounds as if it alone will not make or break your sale on it's own. Then come back & post an update with your results.
I suppose it may eventually come to something like that. Of course, that will have to wait until we've resolved our current financial difficulties. I really don't mean to come across as obstinate, it's simply that my gut tells me we haven't yet arrived at the correct interpretation, but I do truly appreciate everyone's input - thanks again to all! For the moment, there are one or two other online resources to which I'd like to submit a query, you never know, I may yet stumble across someone who holds the key. In any case, regardless of the source, should I learn anything further I'll be sure to return with an update.
The "luster" on the beveled area of the obverse is completely different than that on the rest of the coin and is simply the shine of abraded silver.
