Just wanted to share this with you all and see if anyone had any thoughts on this 1893 Indian Head with what appears to be a "broken 8" in the date. Mint mistake or after the fact?
Laird, That is damage that occured after the coin was struck at the Mint (otherwise known as post-Mint damage or PMD).
Are you sure?! I originally thought so too, however there are no scratch marks to ether side of the number. The "damage" is centralized exactly along the number and nowhere else! Take a look closely and you will see what I mean.
Anything is possible but the only way that I can think of for your "Broken 8" to have occured at the Mint would be if the numeral '8' on the date punch broke and was used to punch the date into one or more Working Dies. If the digit on the date punch had in fact broken (without being noticed) numerous other coins would have been struck by the Working Die with the "Broken 8" (even if only one Working Die had the date punched into it using the broken date punch). I don't know how your coin was damaged (I wasn't there ) but something removed a portion of the raised metal in the digit. Perhaps it was accidental. Or perhaps someone with some time on their hands carefully removed the metal. Who knows? But I am sure the metal was removed after the coin was struck. Notice the discontinuity in the toning and greenish material on the field of the coin.
