1901 IHC. A Real Head Scratcher.

paralyse, your assessment must be the only solution to this head scratcher. it absolutely makes sense

Details coin, not worth spending more time on. Outta here.

As I have said before, my first thought was that it was plated, but this coin exhibits cartwheel luster, so it cannot be plated. I know it sounds impossible, but it is exactly what I am seeing here. I will take better pictures of this coin next time I go home.

To "fake" luster is to lightly plate a coin that has been very finely polished, using electroplating or TFMD / thin film metal deposition

The plating is thin enough to do a passable job of mimicking the cartwheel luster that occurs when dies wear down a bit, etching lines into the dies which are picked up as flow lines on the coin and reflect light.

True cartwheel luster is very difficult to fake because you can get close using above method but it will not hold up beyond a brief inspection.

It's entirely possible the coin really does have some unusual wear pattern which left that level of mint luster intact. Stranger things have happened.