1877-S Seated Half - Plan Error

It is. Crazy coin.

 

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Struck though a lamination peel?

 

@mikediamond

 

Unfortunately, the thinned portion of the coin with blurred details is a case of chemical erosion. The coin was probably suspended over a corrosive solution (probably acid), with one pole immersed in it for a prolonged period.

 

Wow. Made short work of that!

Does the reeding make sense with this explanation? The coin appears to be thinner and narrower in the middle then widens back out. Reeding is only weaker at the transition point.
Would think with acid the reeding would be weaker over the whole affected area.

Just making sure! Thanks.

Pics..

Affected area reeding:


Thicker unaffected area:


Arrows pointing down at transition point and back towards affected area.

 

Imho, I like @mikediamond ‘s answer.
If you look at the details on the coin. It is more defined in the areas not affected. Less defined details that were affected.

 

In post 20 I said acid as from the pitting as well the two craters where perhasp drops sat until washed and ate at the surface.
Its amazing what people do to coins....one would think with the date and mm of this piece that no one would think of doing harm.

 

The reeding looks normal. I would have expected a "scalloped" appearance. Perhaps the edge was protected by a layer of wax. Despite the normal-looking reeding, the rest of the coin's appearance is completely consistent with a partial acid dip. Therefore, my conclusion remains unchanged.

 

I did consider acid because of the lost weight and porosity of the surface.
But without the proper credentials to make such a statement.
Thanks for your insight.

 

On a desktop or laptop they do, on a mobile device they do not.