Wondering if the crack on the top left(front) and top right(back) is damage or a dye break? also curious about the diagonal indents on the coin, since they point the same direction on the front and back and are almost identical I’m curious.. haven’t seen that type of natural wear before. Any info helps!
That is called a Lamination. It is a Planchet issue. Common issue on Silver War Nickels. Not caused by the striking of the Die. By the way, there is no Dye used in the minting of coins. They are struck by a Hammer Die and a Anvil Die. Welcome to CoinTalk
You're welcome. Here is a Attributed Lamination Planchet error (more dramatic) on a Silver War Nickel I sent to NGC
Why are laminations so common on war nickels? I have a dozen or so and more have laminations than those that don't.
Awesome coin, thanks for the visual. Just getting into collecting and super curious! I’ve got the best and most consistent replies on cointalk, very happy to be here!
I think it has to do with the mint working with the new silver alloy. Funny, I don't remember seeing a steel cent with a lamination error.
I have several "War Nickels" and don't plan on having them graded. I guess I'm lucky, because I have not seen any errors on my "War Nickels". However, I do appreciate the shared information that is provided on CoinTalk.
It was not a great alloy for striking coins, and improper mixing is evident in most coins of the era as evidenced by streaking in the toning, so laminations are not surprising. Then add in wartime rush of doing things and it would be surprising if there weren't laminations.
