What is wrong with this one?

I was going to put this in a guess the grade thread, but woodies are so hard to read in hand and nearly impossible with photos. So I though it might be interesting to post it this way and see if anyone can guess what things (plural) are wrong with it. One of them I am 99% sure I am correct and the other PCGS says they are correct. No prizes, but I will bet several will learn something.

 

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The first thing that hit me, was that it sort of has that certain color of one that has been cleaned or dipped. I'm not quite sure what I should be looking for. It appears to have an extremely weak strike, as I can't even make out Lincoln's lapel or bow tie, the LIB in Liberty is gone, and his nose looks fat, lol.

 

I will be interested to hear because I see nothing wrong. The 20-S are well known for this exactly look in the MS grades. They are generally quite dull, lack luster, woodgrained and poorly struck. This one actually appears to have tinge of luster compared to others I've seen.

 

Got me to wondering, so I went next door to the bank and pulled my album to take home this weekend. I'll have to see what mine looks like.

 

Hint - It is actually a rather well struck coin or at least mostly.

 

Something looks wrong with LIBERTY and IN GOD WE. Scratched maybe???

 

My gut feeling is that it is cleaned, possibly altered surfaces.

 

lamination?

 

chemical damage?

 

It does appear to be cleaned to me and there may be some environmental damage to the coin as well.

Is it off center or mishapen maybe?

 

Tilted planchet when stuck by the dies is my guess as much of the detail is present in a good portion of obverse and reverse. The lightly struck areas seem to correspond with the location on the opposite side of the coin that are better struck. It also seems to be out of round so I'd say broad strike maybe? Photos (even the best ones) can make it somewhat difficult to see subtle nuances of coins.

 

I am not sure just what you mean by "tilted planchet", but you are describing what I call a tapered planchet. That is what I thought of as my part of the problems. I suspected someone would say grease filled, but I am pretty sure that is not why the left side is nearly missing on both the obverse and reverse.

However, no one has yet guessed what PCGS said was wrong although one has technically said the process.

BTW, Doug, just where are you seeing a scratch?

 

Acid dipped? It looks a lot like a nickel that's been sitting in vinegar for a while.

 

Neither is a scratch. It is just the pattern in the coin. I guess that is one of the reasons woodies are so hard to grade in photos.

 

Is it a tapered planchet??

 

Well.....what's the mystery? I suspect it's just another coin that didn't meet PCGS's criteria for "the correct look".....BAH.

 

It's a fake

 

That is the closest I have seen yet. PCGS said 91 "Artificially Colored". I am sorry, but I don't see it. If they had said cleaned, well maybe. Just where did someone artificially color this thing? Anyway, that enabled me to get it cheap and after all the trouble I had even finding an uncircualted 20-S.