So I picked up this 2001 Denver mint set today for 9 cents over face value. Started looking at the coins and the Lincoln has a strike through from the rim down to Lincoln's jaw. Not PMD as there is no gouge or movement of metal. With loupe very easy to see. Through the packaging a little tougher to see.
Looks like "struck through wire" to me. Wire strikes tend to have nice smooth lines, such as you show. See more here: http://www.error-ref.com/struck-through_wire/
Hard to tell from those photos, but I think I'm seeing some metal displacement, such as a gouge would leave, but I've not seen enough struck throughs to know the difference. JMHO
I beleive you are correct. Here are a couple of better pictures. There is no exposed zinc and the crease across Lincoln's forehead is deep and uniform depth, no metal movement, and the copper plating is intact. I am hesitant to remove from OGP as I think it adds to the piece; but I could be convinced otherwise.
So quality control must have been on break at the time because the quarters from the same mint set has 2 North Carolina ones and is missing Rhode Island!
Where did the metal go? That is deep and wide and the plating is completely intact. I have a couple more pictures I will post this evening after work.
Having better photos no doubt will help. The cellophane above the area in question looks damaged. The metal would be pushed one way or the other. I look forward to the better photos.
I intentionally blasted this last one with light, I think it shows no metal displacement and uniform color into the crease.
In this case I'm not sure. It's the kind of coin that would go with my other coins for attribution to NGC. My questionable coin submission. Only way to find out!
