Is This Nickel An Error Coin?

Welcome to Coin Community, StoneFree. Always smart to get multiple opinions.

Actually, you didn't get any mixed replies; everybody agreed, as I do, that it's post-mint damage. Whether this was caused simply by a scraping action, or whether great weight was involved as well (I think the dome smeared under weight and movement), will probably always be unclear. We weren't there when it happened.

The key to unraveling coins like this is to ask yourself the right question first. "What part of the minting process could have resulted in this error?" Minting coins is a straightforward process, and if this isn't going to be your only coin it's important to learn about the minting process. That knowledge would absolutely assure you it's not possible for the Mint to create something like this, leaving the cause obviously post-Mint.

Thanks for straigtening out the pics Superdave, What about the guy who said it was some sort of build up on the planchets that caused it? I personally dont see how something like this could happen at the mint, but I'm also a noob. I also don't understand how this could happen post mint, how it could still leave the outline. But I'm a noob like I said lol Thanks for the reply.

StoneFree, the guy who said that must have been drinking - his words bear no resemblance to anything that happens in reality.

A strike cannot leave the coin's center that weak while still showing the peripheral letters so clearly. Yes, a really soft strike (like the setup trials they do to configure the striking pressure) will look kinda like that, but even though they'd strike up the letters would still show the effects and this coin doesn't. This is reinforced by the fact that the rims are worn down too; they're mostly created in a different minting step and wouldn't be affected by a strike defect.