Very Strange Reverse on Kennedy Half---what is it?

I found this VERY strange reverse on the pictured Kennedy Half.

What is it? The eagle is literally bald and featureless and the shield is almost the same with just a few of the bars barely showing up. The overall condition of the coin is at least AU, almost UNC.

Is this a grease filled die strike?

Thanks for you help and responses---

 

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its not just the reverse, look at kennedys cheek. that should help tell you what is going on, both are the highpoints on each side of the coin. This isn't my specialty but it seems to me that an undersized/underweight planchete would explain why it didn't get a full strike.

 

You're right! I was so intriqued by the reverse that I overlooked the obverse. Kennedy's cheek, cheekbone, and moving NE from there, the front part of the ear and temple are showing the same anomoly.

I wonder if this is something that Ken Potter would look at and give an opinion---

 

I have found a few like that in years past.

 

Its definitely a neat coin, and again, I am not the expert on this but this appears to be a fairly common strike error, think of it as a very very weak strike, I doubt there is much interest in this. Someone who knows more than me will come along and give you more info. I would keep it in my collection as something unusual.

 

Could be struck thru grease or a die adjustment strike. I'd weigh it to make sure it weighs what it's supposed it.

 

Already done. Slightly overweight at 11.42 grams----

 

Here's a better shot of the obverse cheek/ear area---

Looks like Kennedy has some swelling after an extracted tooth or a good punch to the face---

 

OK the weight would rule out an undersized planchette, I think the key is that it is on the highest points on the obv and rev. Although the grease on one side could mean not enough pressure on the other I would think a grease filled die would not be in that precise of a location, its more like the dies were too far apart when they were set. That's my best guess.

 

Seems like a weak strike to me, particularly because only the high points on the center of the coin on the front and back are affected. Check out this article, http://koinpro.tripod.com/Articles/TrialorWeakStrkMoffatt.

 

It's a weak strike. The strike is strong enough to strike up most of the details but the two high point areas that are opposite each othr just didn't have enough pressure to allow them to fill properly

 

Thanks Conder, that seems to be the consensus. Any particular value other than being an interesting coin?

 

Sorry to say, but IMO the value would be less than the same coin with a good strike, since it isn't really an error, just a bad strike I doubt there is a premium of any kind for it. But it is neat, I have a lot of neat coins that aren't worth hardly anything. Keep it.

 

Strikes that are slabbed "die adjustment strike" by PCGS or NGC, which is one thing that causes a weak strike, typically command a large premium.

 

Thanks, I'll certainly hang on to it as a novel coin then.

 

GOod to know, is this a die adjustment strike?