1987 D Quarter With Crazy Strike Through

Hey Coop,
Thanks for taking a look and for creating the images! Yes, there are reeds on the outside of the coin just like you'd see on a normal coin. I hadn't considered a clad layer falling off post-strike as a potential explanation but it does match what we're looking at. So it sounds like both the clad falling off and the mechanical removal theories are both plausible explanations. Is there anyway to determine which is the more likely cause?

Let me know if there are any other images or information I can provide to help.

Thanks again!

I agree, it's definitely an interesting one. What's throwing me off is the fabric-like pattern that exists in multiple places around the coin mostly residing very close to the boundaries between the anomaly and the unaffected parts of the coin. If that didn't exist I'd be heavily in favor of the mechanically altered/polished theory. I just wouldn't expect to see that kind of pattern on a coin that was simply polished down. On the other hand, the anomaly being so centered and circular seems like it would have to be incredibly coincidental for it to be a mint error. This one is definitely a head-scratcher for me.