Similar examples can be found here: http://www.cointalk.org/showthread.php?t=31286 Whatever the cause, you have a great example of it; large apron obscuring details, small diameter, puffy/mushy details, etc.
There is a very simple explanation for this: Someone took a strip of copper or bronze and wrapped it around the edge of the coin. Then he folded the strip of metal onto the obverse and reverse of the coin. The folds in the metal strip are due to the fact that the circumference of the coin is larger at the edge (at the center of the strip) than at points closer to the center of the coin (at the edges of the folded strip). I have demonstrated this in the photos below. I wrapped a strip of joint tape (used on plumbing pipe joints) around a cent. Note how the joint tape folds over itself just like the metal strip on the OP's cent. (My pics are not the best. There is not enough contrast on the joint tape but I think you can see the folds. My photography should greatly improve once I get familiar with my new Nikon digital camera.)
Except your cent now has a greater diameter than a normal one. These cents all seem to be of a smaller diameter than original. It seems to be that metal from the edge is pressed over the sides (forming the apron) and making the cent smaller in diameter. But, as yet, no one seems to know how this is done.
here isa website for spooning coins for rings.http://homepage.mac.com/johnhuber/CoinRing/PhotoAlbum20.html,
Spooning it and then smashing the lip created by the spooning over the face of the coin should create that look. The muffled detail may be from smaching the lip onto the face. I'll try to recreate it today if i have time.
Here are my experiment results. http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z9/hamman88-photo/IMAG0050.jpg http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z9/hamman88-photo/IMAG0052.jpg http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z9/hamman88-photo/IMAG0053.jpg http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z9/hamman88-photo/IMAG0054.jpg I think if I had made the lip larger before folding it over it would of resembled the OP's coin more. Doing this made the coin small, doing it as much as it would take to resemble the OP's coin would make it very small. Thus the flat look of the OP's coin was caused by beating it between leather to make it larger.
So, did you have fun spooning? this is my penny, http://www.cointalk.org/showthread.php?t=31286 cheryl
I am sorry. but this is funny. Look at my coin and then at his coin. My coin is the same size and weight as a penny, his coin is small and might be lighter. the rim on the reverse side of mind is normal, the edge is normal . hiscoin is the same on both sides. cheryl. What is wrong with this picture?