Looks like it took a hit to me. I have saw a few of those in the past and they do grab your attention for a second.
The first cent you posted looks like it took a hit. The second one appears as if the die is deteriorated I THINK. @paddyman98 addressed an image like this in the recent past and I seem to remember he said when the outer edge of the coin appears like this it is due to severe die deterioration. He can confirm though.