1908 Indian Head Penny - Error or Mutilation?

I have a 1908 Indian Head Penny that since childhood have always assumed was a hand mutilation. But thought I would post a picture of it for a second opinion.

 

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IMO, ALTERED COIN....Someone took a steel washer (probably red-hot) and smashed it into your coin. Very neat! I shall try this at home for sure.

 

It looks like someone may have attempted to make their own version of a Hobo Nickel on an IHC but gave up.

Chris

 

Mutated?


PMD for sure.

 

Too bad it wasn't finished,may have been a quite nice piece.....

 

Thanks All. I wondered if perhaps it had been heated and pressed into some kind of jewelry finding at one time. Thought maybe someone had seen something similar. I’ve had it since the 60s, and it was in my grandfather’s collection before that. He always felt the depth and breaks in the copper were a bit odd.

 

Call me crazy, but tooling marks would seem to suggest, well, tooling as opposed to heat.

 

You are crazy Couldn't resist. Actually looks like a rotary tool was used; however, IMO the original pattern was created w/a hot steel washer.

 

Got it. Sorry for the waste of time.

 

YOU ARE NOT WASTING MY TIME and I'll bet everyone commenting on your coin feels the same. Neat coin...I'm going to try to duplicate it for my collection

 

Only I'm a cheap old fart and will use a Lincoln cent!

 

There's certainly no waste of time, sir... was just an observation.

 

How would you learn if you didn't ask?

PMD by the way.