1887 P Morgan Not Sure Defective Planchet Or Post Mint ?

clear post mint damage, damaged after minting, got hit by something...G

I'm not going to jump on the PMD bandwagon. I do see what may be displaced metal around the edge in a couple of places. But that can be the light.

I have two problems with calling it PMD.

The first is that anything that hit with that much force would have of necessity displaced metal ON THE REVERSE. And I do not see any displacement or flattening on the reverse. Also the irregular shape of the hole does not support being hit with a punch or other tool. It is hard to imagine what irregular object impacted the obverse with that much force and left no corresponding mark on the reverse.

The second is the propensity to label anything that does not fit into a clear cut mold as PMD. It is not so bad here in the classic section but in the modern section it is endemic. I have seen people ask if their coin has Doubling and have seen clear die doubling...as well as Strike Doubling. Yet the vast majority will latch on to the Strike Doubling and ignore die doubling.

It was so bad that at one point I "borrowed" a pic from a well known variety website of a doubled Jefferson profile and was told, by no less than a nationally recognized 'expert', that it was Machine Doubling.."no premium". Needless to say that was the last time I posted that sort of question in the Modern section.

I'm not saying anything other than MY OPINION in this instance is that it is a planchet error..or perhaps a struck through error of some sort. As a struck through would have been done with the reverse in contact with the die and so you would not have any apparent damage on the reverse.

I agree with both, your ideas yet "impact" does not always mean
directly overhead 90 degree force...as with a punch which could reveal itself upon the reverse, as such in case
"chop" marks..For an EF/AU coin if they could only tell us there story...in any event it brings no premium for this coin...

That is a good point Aladin...a very good point. And I also agree that it does not bring a premium. Thanks Condor101.

Sorry about the soap box....

I don't think it's PMD IMO It is a struck through metal, which has come out of the planchet, almost like a blob of some other metal fragment was in the planchet then fell out after striking. The wear has allowed dirt and grime over the years to color and oxide the exposed surfaces, the coin looks to be a VF-25/30 or so so it was in circulation for a while. Interesting and possibly worth a small premium, not too much I don't have a guess on this error on a Morgan.