I picked this up because it was cheap and neat. Weighs 5.5g, strangely. The buffalo reverse appears to have added/enhanced details and wierdly containing an added 1812 date where FIVE CENTS was. And the obverse converted to a medal alignment with what looks was a work-in-progress Korean War remembrance of some type. Buffalo side and the smooth rim have that brassy look. I couldn’t make out any remnants of the original obverse. Please share any thoughts about this you may have.
It's actually a Korean War medal. https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/212009-17th-infantry-regiment-challenge-coin-19
The obverse looks damaged, not sure why someone would do that. From what I can find these are made of nickel plated brass, hence the color.
It appears that there is some interesting history behind this piece. You can find images of the 1953 issue and it even looks like replicas are available online to purchase. There's something odd about the damage on the obverse in the sense that to me it does not look like the original obverse was ever present to begin with. Maybe this thing really was some kind of work in progress. Here's a pic of an original obverse: I'll just put it in a 2x2 and file it away.
