Found this one in a mixed date lot and I cannot explain what is going on with the design incorporated with the normal design? On both sides of this coin are what look like spreading ice crystals or pot leaves all over. The coin weighs in at 1.9g and just under 1.8mm across. Is this a chemical reaction of some sort or is there another cause for the design? It appears to be raised from the surface and there is no break in the pattern at the devices. See photos for details...
I'd say Post Mint Damage. Caused by what? I don't know but this can't happen at the mint. It's been cleaned at some point and no telling what has happened. ??
I don't know about all that but I am interested in somebody that has a reasonably educated guess at what happened here. My first leaning was toward some artistic endeavor once upon a time, but that just doesn't seem to fit. A chemical reaction of some sort could possibly be the culprit. Hey @-jeffB can you reason out any sort of chemical reaction that could create this?
Could it possibly have gotten cold enough that it caused that? It does look like a freeze pattern to me.
I have come across some Rosies with the same crystalized look to the surfaces I will see if I can find one of them. I think that something was put on the coin it dried in this form or etched the surface and has been removed.
It reminds me of the pattern made by frost on a windowpane. It looks like the metal itself has crystalized, although it could be something on the metal. Have you tried an acetone bath to see if it comes off? If it is the metal itself, could it possibly be that it was heated and allowed to cool very slowly? Personally, I'm totally ignorant on how metals could crystalize like that. I'm really only commenting so I'll get an alert if someone more educated can tell us about it.
It could be a storage issue. It reminds me of a coin that has sweat in mint packaging. If you want to compare them I have photos. This is one of the Rosies I found with this pattern. The full surfaces even though not shown have that crackling look to the surfaces. This one is toned not really seen unless you look for it. First look. And then you turn it forward to look for contact and it looks crackly
A number of reasons could cause this. Die Deterioration As a die wears it can develop shallow grooves. Die Scratching Leaves a raised mark either a cut or groove on the coin. Die Polishing These are fine straight lines. Improper Alloy Mixing This can also leave lines on a coins surface. Post Mint Damage Cleaning or abrasive attempts to clean also leave lines on a coin’s surface but this is a form of damage. Circulation Wear These often get hairline or other marks from handling or rubbing other coins. Your coin looks to me, like some sort of cloth was wrapped around the coin and the coin was dipped in an acid for a short time. It left the image on the coin but didn’t destroy the coin itself.
I can follow that thought. The rest of the thoughts except a failed attempt at cleaning or a certain solution used, I can agree with. There is a VF example shown and a MS example.
That's... wow. Nope, I'm not sure I could reproduce this if I tried. I've certainly seen stuff crystallize looking like that. But to make metal do that, you'd have to legit melt it, then let it cool very slowly - and there wouldn't be much left of the design afterward. (Maybe if you induction-heated it in hard vacuum and zero gravity? But then I think you'd get a little approximately-spherical ball of metal. And if you think normal shipping is expensive, try sending something to space and getting it back.) To get a pattern like this, you'd almost need to let something crystallize on the coin's surface, then leave it there as protection while you etched the coin with something else (because the little needle-like features appear to be raised). And I still don't think you'd get anything that looks much like this. I'm baffled. Unless... any chance this is a cast counterfeit? I know just enough about three-cent nickels to know that I can't judge whether they look right or not.
As a graphic artist, to replicate snow/ice in winter scenery when using watercolor, salt applied randomly while the piece is damp creates the exact same effect. And can be adjusted more or less accordingly. So I'm leaning towards a similar reactive method to silver since it's clearly in the devices and not confined to the background. What's used I could not say.
