I see machine damage on the mint mark and the tops of the 72. This happens when a normal die in a machine that is slightly loose and the die movement makes the strike distorted because of the die movement. These are very common. On the half dollar and one dollar coins on the reverse you see it most often on the devices located at 6:00 on a lot of these coins. The 1968-1972 cents dates show this a lot as well. But the mint mark and date affected is usually an indicator of machine damage on a coin.
The dies are prepared first. Until 1989 the mint marks were added to the die as a separate process with a hand punch. So if both show machine damage, then it usually occurs during the strike. (If it were a doubled die, the mint mark would not be affected.)
If it were a RPM, then the rest of the devices would not be affected. There are cases where you have a RPM and a doubled die, but when the direction is the same for both, it is machine damage. Hope this helps
The dies are prepared first. Until 1989 the mint marks were added to the die as a separate process with a hand punch. So if both show machine damage, then it usually occurs during the strike. (If it were a doubled die, the mint mark would not be affected.)
If it were a RPM, then the rest of the devices would not be affected. There are cases where you have a RPM and a doubled die, but when the direction is the same for both, it is machine damage. Hope this helps






















