Jefferson Nickel Strike Through

To be clear, it's a gouge - not a mound (as would be present in a die crack).

Coop - how to tell the difference between a strike-through like you mention and a gouge that was already in the planchet prior to the strike (as in the case where a piece of stray metal was rolled into the coin and fell out prior to striking)?

I don't understand how a gouge would not affect the devices. Wouldn't the devices require metal to be available evenly across the planchet so that when struck, the metal flows into the die and the devices fully form? If a gouge is present, there would be no metal to press into the die at the gouge location. Right?

I need some playdough and a die :)

The out side edge of a die is the fields. When a clash or a cleaning or damage happens to a Die, The fields are the part this happens on. The devices are located on the inside of the die. You have to think like a mirror on this. The lowest point on a coin is the fields, these are on the outside of the die. The devices shape the metal into the higher points of the die. So they are recessed into the die. If you look at a die, the devices are reversed and sunk into the die. So when a gouge happens it usually only affect to outer part of the die. The devices are hidden into the die where contact usually doesn't happen.

Coop, I understand what you are saying. But I think you are talking about a gouge in the die. I was referring to a gouge in the planchet before it was struck.

I have been thinking about this and if the finished coin was dinged by something softer than the coin itself (aluminum maybe?) then it would leave a mark. It would hit the higher devices first (the A and the building base) and as the softer material traveled into the coin would be damaged as well as the coin. It would not push into the devices as deep as the field because it would be deformed here first. The devices ( the A) would leave an imprint in the softer material before it hits the field so that when it continues into the field and then comes out it leaves a slight impression of the devise. Also it would push metal up at the mark it makes which is what I see on the coin at the edge of the gouge. This is wordy but I didn't know how else to explain it. I still think post damage. Does this help?

Seattle: I'm talking about the movement of metal by the softest item, which would be the planchet. The steel wire and the steel dies would not yield. The coin would have a mark the length of the wire through both fields and devices as the planchet would give first. The die would remain un-damaged, the obstacle (Wire or what ever) would probably stick to the planchet or drop off after striking. The rest of the run of coins would not show that mark as the die remain un-changed.