What happened to this coin?

Looks like a bad cast counterfeit error coin.

 

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Just to be clear, the United States Mint did make uniface die trials (a.k.a. "splashers") classified as "pattern coins". You can see some here:
http://coins.ha.com/itm/patterns/-1...al-judd-a1879-5-pr63-cameo-pcgs/a/1216-6779.s
http://coins.ha.com/itm/patterns/-1...2-pollock-3344-unique-ms64-pcgs/a/1208-3719.s
http://coins.ha.com/itm/patterns/un...s63-pcgs-an-obverse-die-trial-wi/a/394-4596.s
http://coins.ha.com/itm/patterns/-1...k-3025-r8-repaired-pcgs-genuine/a/1208-3718.s

 

Fake. Possibly one half of a casting before being paired with it's obverse. What is the weight?

 

Good post. Yes, it can be done. Two of these you can see the edging being struck into the coin, so it proves it was from a die. The other two I am not sure of.

My post sir comes from the fact so many people come on here bragging about their "one sided coin". 99% of the time its simple a cast or a PMD. For the two issues above I would want certification like from a TPG before I was positive it was a mint product, just because it can be replicated easily.

However, point taken. Everyone should be aware these coins do exist. I myself have one sided trial pieces from the Thai mint, so I am aware they exist.

 

HOLY SMOKES!

We agree!

The world is about to end!

 

yes, and this was NOT one of them

 

Nah, if Doug and Lehigh ever saw eye to eye on an issue, THAT would be a sure sign of the coming Apocalypse.

 

Not the Apocalypse, it would mean that we all just died.

 

"In a related story, the temperature in hell this morning fell below 0 degrees Celsius."

The OP's picture shows an early cast attempt, and is probably of pewter or some such lower melting point alloy.

 

I already stated that...

 

Fake or copy made for decorative purposes.

Splasher were typically made using a low melting point metal such as tin or lead. A "button " of metal would be poured onto a paper or fabic backing and the die or hub pressed into it, often before it had completely solidified.

 

I actually used to make pieces like this when I was a kid, make a one sided mould by pressing a genuine coin into plaster of paris, melt the metal and pour it in. They looked just about exactly like this.

 

I agree that it is a bad attempt to make a copy, even the reverse looks suspicious.
Ron W.

 

Because there is a sucker born every minute.

If one can produce a piece for 75 cents and sell it for $10 or whatever you paid for it is easy money.

 

Looks like a "test piece" for the Fung-Chow Fake Factory to me.....

 

Hell hath frozen over!

 

IMO the OP's coin is not a pattern coin & it is not a product of the US mint. I still recommend the OP read about the minting process in a book like "The Error Coin Encyclopedia". FWIW, here is a one-sided pattern coin from my collection.