1938 D Penny

here's another picture of the "N"

J, the first example is a die chip. The face of the die had a small piece of metal flake away.

What you are calling a extra sliver of metal is the result of post mint damage. Something has struck the coin slightly above the area you are talking about and moved metal downward. Softer metals are naturally very malleable which is one of the reasons they are used in coin making. This property also makes them susceptible to some very unusual things happening when they are struck by other things.
Jim

Bill is dead on with the mark on the N in one. Guess I need to be putting my glasses on before voicing an opinion. Swung right over the top of that curve.

I still wonder if the second mark is not from a strike, though. Don't trust these 54 yr old eyes, though.

Jim