Haleiwa - this is not an easy thing to capture. I don't have fancy equipment, but this is the best I could do. Hope it helps.
I assume you are telling us that this is a President's dollar and that the pics show that the edge design is not what it's supposed to be. Now I've never seen a John Qincy Adams dollar in hand, so I can only assume that the edge design is like the other dollar coins - and what you have pictured is not it. Thus the only thing it can be is an after mint alteration.
Boy, U got me? I'd say a rolling wheel during the mfg of the coin, but without having first hand knowledge of how they make the coin, your guess is as good if not better than mine! Have you compared it with other coins?
GD- just got these from the mint. They're not circulated coins. Looking at the coin, the ridges (or whatever they are) were there before the lettering went on. They can be clearly seen (with a magnifier ) through the lettering. And, these whatever these lines are, they only go from the W in We to the beginning of the date. The rest of the coin is normal. Just thougth it was odd, that's all.
Then show us a picture of the rest of the coin's edge - the part you say is normal. As I said, I have never seen any of the new dollar coins except the first ones and their coin edges are flat with the edge lettering. So unless the mint changed the edge die, I cannot explain the recessed groove in your pictures. And if you got the coins direct from the mint, then either they did change it - or it is an error.
Oh my goodnes!! I have to try to get pictures of this... again?? You guys are killing me. I was just asking what the coin might have gotten caught on to make these marks. Since the marks can be seen between the letters affected, I'm "assuming" they were on the coin before the lettering was stamped. I just can't figure out what happened. Anyway, I'll try to get more pictures for you tomorrow. Thanks for looking.
What did this coin run through? There were some coins on Ebay that had edges like the proof dollar coins. But i can't remember what it's called. But that edge covers the whole coin, not just a portion.
Starting out Perhaps move your pictures to the error forum. Mike Diamond frequents that area and he may be able to help. If he can't no one can.
After these coins are struck they are then run through an edge die - it is the edge die that places the letters on the edge of the coin. The edge die is like a long box with a slot in it. On the bottom of the slot are carved the letters. The coin is rolled through the slot with pressure pushing down on the coin and that is what forms the letters. That groove you are seeing was done that the same time as the letters, not before or after.
