2000D cent oddity

I'm hoping for some feedback on this one. It looks like the upper half of the 2 is doubled above the 2. Any idea what could cause this?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Might be a "dropped number" but I'm certainly no expert, so let's call @paddyman98, @Fred Weinberg, @JCro57, others.

 

Maybe reading this will help?
https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/557/

 

Looks like plating issues, IMO.

 

The mystery deepens. I lightly swiped the surface with a microfiber cloth and guess what? The marks disappeared! I used very light pressure as you can see as the surface shows no scratches. Now I really wonder how that may have happened! My best guess is some grime covering the edges of the 2 was pushed up. Any thoughts?

 

it appears smaller than the normal 2, I say damage

 

It may look that way but rest assured it's not.

 

Pareidolia = Coin Therapy .

 

It was lint.

 

Definitely not a dropped element.
I will say some kind of plating issue that caused Pareidolia.

It would be good to show the entire Cent Obverse and Reverse.