LWC With Unusual Lamination.

Thanks for commenting Buddy. The lines are the underlying metal flow you see after a lamination detaches. The circle is depressed but not too deep. I think brushing would have eliminated the tail end of the wheat stalk so we may have to rule out that possibility. Let's see if more ideas roll in.

With strikethroughs you usually don't see the design below because they are usually harder than the planchet metal. Note the appearance of the tail end of the wheat stalk in the hole. The metal flow lines and the presence of the tail more than likely point to a lamination. The shape is the unusual feature. Something affected this round area of the planchet causing the surface above it to fail and detach. Perhaps a drop of oil or other liquid was rolled into the metal strip the planchet was punched from. I love mysteries like this. Just fuels the fire more.

It's a puzzle all righty!

But I think what sab wrote make the most sense: that something dripped onto the metal.

It still looks like a bit of spot cleaning but after sab wrote about metal flow I took a longer look and the lines. They do seem to extend a tiny bit beyond the rim of the damage but that could be do to wear. I think the brush marks on a cleaned coin are not all in the same direction like these are.

It is a puzzle.

Whatever the cause of the lamination...it's a keeper.

sab,

Here is one I posted a little while back. Similar but larger and not as rounded.