This piece looked so bizarre that I was too darn curious not to pick it up at MS64RD. Notice the huge divot where Lincoln's temple is, and how much detail is missing from the reverse. Here is my question: I know oftentimes details are missing from grease filled dies or other debris blocking the strike. But is this more likely because the planchet was so thin that the dies could not reach the entire coin? And if that's the case, why were some areas struck very strong and others not? And why the huge divot on the side of Abe's face if this is not PMD? Could this also be a strike through at that spot? (Looks too smooth to be a strike through I think)
It looks like all the metal went to try and fill in Lincoln. cool coin either way. I don't see any PMD.
@JCro57 Here is a similiar mint error that I own Struck on a Split Planchet No Strike Throughs present. Just unequal striking pressure on both sides - Compare your Memorial Building to mine
That's not the right way to say it, but you've got the idea. The correct way to phrase it is that the metal in the planchet could not reach the dies because there was not enough metal for it to do so. When a coin is designed the specific portions of the planchet where the metal comes from to create a given portion of the design, and the directions in which that metal flows is all predetermined by the design. With a good design there is enough metal to fill everything, assuming of course that the correct pressure is used and that the dies are correctly spaced and aligned. With a poor design, like Jefferson nickels, there is not enough metal no matter if everything else is prefect. But when there is not enough metal in the planchet to begin with, as is the case with an underweight planchet, everything else can be perfect and you will still end up an again predetermined result. And if anything else is out of spec, like pressure, spacing, or alignment, a different predetermined result will occur.
As always, you are among the best with your explanations as you just know how to always make something complicated seem more understandable.
