What's a wheel mark, and where is mine?

LOL - I'll keep trying. I think we are seeing irregularities in the planchet that were not completely flattened out during striking. At the 11:00 position next to the O in ONE there is a small impact mark that has a curved shape - looks like the rim of another cent hit it there.

Full resolution:


Less resolution, but moving.

 

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I agree.

 

I think these photos sum up what NGC was referring to in their article.
Those lines flow over the top of the devices. At first I thought die polishing in the fields. A second look those lines run over the lips, nose, cheek bone and jaw.

If they were simply a die polishing the recessed areas of the die would be un affected. They are minor but I think that they are there.

 

Right in front of Abe’s face. That large grouping of “hairlines.” They’re from the wheel on a counting machine. Get that under a strong light and move it around until you find the right angle. You will see them very easily.

 

Flow marks aren't all radial. If coins were made by putting a metal ball into a press, they might be. But when you strike an upset planchet, metal flows from the low points of the design toward the high points of the design. (Thanks yet again to @GDJMSP for pointing this out in a thread years ago.)

This is especially prominent on Mercury dimes, which have weird twisty luster in the reverse fields. I haven't paid much attention to luster on Washington quarters, but I'm guessing the same thing might happen there. I'll try to remember to look for it on some lustrous examples.

 

Very true, and it makes judging luster on some coins very difficult. Buffalo nickels and Washington quarters also have weird twisty bits. Look, for example, in the area above the eagle's left wing, between the wing and the beak - all sorts of weird twisty bits.

On this Washington, however, notice the difference between the rather coarse luster flowlines, and the completely uniform parallel lines across the eagle's breast. Those are not from striking. Whether they are polish (cleaning) hairlines or a wheel mark is splitting hairs - they are post-mint damage.

The same is true for the patch of light hairlines in front of Lincoln's nose. Notice in the excellent animated images how they really only appear at a certain lighting angle, and then seem to disappear? This is characteristic of wheel marks. It's unfortunate, but its definitely damage.