acs - while it may not be much consolation there were many coins that I searched for for several years before finding one that suited me. Patience...
It's pretty easy to get a few 70s when you submit a few thousand of them at a time.
I get most of it from reading the auction reports in the coin mags. But you can get it anytime by searching through Heritage as well.
Maybe, and maybe not. It would really depend on how the pressure was applied and at what points. Think of how a weak strike affects a coin, or...
I would think the why would be obvious - so they could get more money out of the coin than they could otherwise.
I think perhaps the most likely cause of these marks was deliberate action taken after minting. For example, placing the coin between two pieces...
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