Found this in the latest box. At first glance, I figured it was another one for my mangled collection, then I noticed what looks like part of a '1' in the incuse area near the date.
Yeah, the "thing" by the date is a real problem. There doesn't seem to be a good explanation for this coin being created at the mint, bur the same can be said for outside the mint. Certainly there was some squeezing by something - tool, press - on the obv, but the squeezings don't leave the same fingerprint, and whatever might have squeezed it didn't flatten the "thing" by the date. I think there's some sort of 'clash' going on. But from what is the mystery. And the rev. doesn't line up with the obv. striking, but seems to be some lamination problem, esp. on the eaves of the Memorial. Anybody got a better idea how this could have been created?
My guess: The four loops are not identical in shape. My guess is that the loop that was whacked or pressed near the date had a defect in it (indetation) that cause the protruding thing near the date. There is nothing to prove that that spot was protruding on the coin before the damage - in fact it is a safe bet it was not, as it was not flattened by the thing being pressed/struck on the coin. If the damaging object had an indentation, that would appear as a raised area withing the depressed area on the coin.
What is intersting to me about the extra sliver in the indentation is that is very close to the size and shape of the damaged top part of the "1". I have seen such on a lesser scale, and even with the good close up photos, it is hard to be certain. Perhaps the damage was not caused by just downward pressure, but maybe by a sideway movement also. It does appear on the close up of the date that some of the metal seems to be scraped on the edge of the indentation, and if so, the top of the one could have been moved along with metal movement.
It looks like the top of the 1 was sheared off and set next to the 1. How could this happen outside the striking process? And why wouldn't the 'thing' be squeezed flat? I think it happened at the mint, but I don't know exactly how.
From the appearances, my thought would be that the damage was at least in 2 direcions. First, downward pressure which pushed the entire "1" down into the depression and then as the pressure was releasing a slight sideways shear towards the rim, taking only the top part of the "1" that was in the depression. Since some of the pressure was relieved, only the upper section of the "1" was moved. Why not all the way off, I think the "scraping" tool was continuing to rise ( notice how the depression on the rim seems less deep than the field of the coin) and eventually stopped pushing it. I have never seen any similar patterns that might be mint made. Maybe it was a post mint device to push coins into "lucky horseshoe" pieces that was very badly adjusted. I have some "lucky" pieces, and if you look carefully on the edge of the coin sometimes there are depressions form this "second" pressing outside of the mint. JMHO.
