Speaking of Fingerprints ...

Actually I believe there's a reasonable chance that it's a fingerprint, even in that tiny area.
The coin is currently in an Intercept Shield album, but used to be in a Whitman album.
I had to use considerable pressure to get the coin back into the IS album (I was using gloves this time).
I believe I had to use enough pressure so that my thumb would conform to the coin's surface.
Between putting it into 2 different albums plus once more when I photographed it, that coin has been handled at least 3 times.
At least one of those times I used a piece of cloth instead of a bare thumb. But that leaves at least 2 times with thumb only.
I don't think the cloth was contaminated because this pattern doesn't show up on any of the other coins.

I'll try some acetone on it, but I think it will need to be replaced.
Very low priority, so who knows when.

 

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Wow, you should have had the imprint of the reverse on your thumb from that much pressure

But, a fun academic thought exercise. I would keep it myself.

Jim

 

That is not a fingerprint. There's no doubt this coin is struck thru some type of cloth. It's very uniform.

 

I'm surprised this theory hasn't gotten more attention, as RLM suggested it very early in the thread.

 

Looks more like it was laid on cheese cloth or something like that...then pulled along it slightly leaving a scratch pattern like that.

 

Ok this is a job for CSI NYC, Vegas, Miami......I'm sure they can ID the didget who caused this!:thumb: This is really thumbthing else or a real mystery.... This calls for Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys......forget CSI they are novice's

 

It's unlikely the acetone will do anything to the fingerprint.

 

Hey silverspoon, go fly an airplane...

 

Yikes, is that a hand or a foot? LOL....

 

If it's really a fingerprint older than a couple days old I don't think you can get it off. Sometimes if you're very careful, you can wipe a fingerprint off, but when it's old it's harder to get rid of as I'm sure you've heard. :bow:

 

?!?

 

Not exactly. Oils from your body actually will do little. It's the acidic properties of the sweat that does the damage.

 

Always worried about the sweaty Palms Carl. The fingers were always an after thought......

 

And that is the truth. The acidic properties of people's sweat eventually will etch the print into the metal. If that is indeed a finger print and it's been there for more than a few months it probably will be there for thousands of years or until the coin is melted.
This is one of the horrors of those folders for coins. The ones where you must press a coin into a slot that is made purposely tight to hold the coin in place. in reality the slot is tapered so that the entrance is smaller than the back. This means people use their thumbs to press the coins into those slots. Some kids actually use a rubber hammer.

 

Kanga, a question for you. Are you in the habit of putting the coins in from the back? Maybe it is just me, but I put all of mine in pushing on the head. BTW, if that really is a fingerprint, you should be able to look at your finger/thumb and see the same identical pattern.

 

When you need to press a coin in an album, lay half of a new 2x2 over the coin and press.
The mylar window lets you see what you are doing and keeps your skin from touching the coin. I'm not sure that is a print.

 

I usually take a hammer, wiping off the fingerprint first of course, and smack it right in the hole!!!:goofer:

 

And then sell them as mint errors! :kewl:

 

I agree that it doesn't look much like a fingerprint. But I'm not sure what i would say it is. I guess cloth would be my best guess as well.

 

Got to be careful there. You forgot to mention a flat headed hammer. A ball end could damage the coin. :goofer::goofer: