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1972 Philadelphia Cent - Severe Raised Field Anomaly (Second Opinion Needed)

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United States
1 Posts
 Posted Today  23M ago Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add PeaceTime3 to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
Hello everyone,
I am looking for a definitive second opinion on this 1972 Lincoln Cent (Philadelphia mint, no mint mark). A local contact briefly looked at it and suggested it might be post-mint damage from copper soldering/jewelry rework, but I want to get the community's take before setting it aside.
Here are the specific diagnostics I've observed under a magnifying glass:
• The Date: The "1972" date is perfectly crisp and sharp, showing the distinct pointed tail on the "2." It does not appear to match the standard Die #1 Doubled Die Obverse markers.
• The Anomaly: In the empty obverse field directly in front of Lincoln's profile, there is a massive, physically raised, tactile texture that feels like braille.
• Composition: The raised metal is an exact match to the copper composition and color of the penny itself.
• The Pattern: The anomaly is formed by an overlapping, repeating sequence of micro-strikes or fractures that creates a winding, snake-like or chain-link design across a large portion of the field. At the absolute top apex of this chain, it terminates in a tiny, highly distinct capital "P" shape.
I have attached macro photos taken with flat, low-angle side lighting to emphasize the shadows cast by the raised metal.
Does this appear to be an undocumented progressive die breakdown/shattered die error, a unique multi-strike design migration/die clash transfer from the reverse lettering, or simply highly deceptive post-mint damage?
Thank you all for your time and expertise! You might have to zoom in on some pictures.

1972-Philadelphia-Cent---Severe-Raised-Field-Anomaly-Second-Opinion-Needed
1972-Philadelphia-Cent---Severe-Raised-Field-Anomaly-Second-Opinion-Needed
1972-Philadelphia-Cent---Severe-Raised-Field-Anomaly-Second-Opinion-Needed
1972-Philadelphia-Cent---Severe-Raised-Field-Anomaly-Second-Opinion-Needed
1972-Philadelphia-Cent---Severe-Raised-Field-Anomaly-Second-Opinion-Needed
1972-Philadelphia-Cent---Severe-Raised-Field-Anomaly-Second-Opinion-Needed
1972-Philadelphia-Cent---Severe-Raised-Field-Anomaly-Second-Opinion-Needed
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Sap's Avatar
Australia
17030 Posts
 Posted Today  8M ago  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Sap to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
It is post-mint damage. It is "raised" because someone has punched or drilled right down into the coin, displacing the metal from inside the dints into little mounds surrounding the dints. Not entirely unlike how the rim of a meteor crater is "raised" above the surrounding surface.

There is a method of engraving metal objects known as "stippling", and is made with a simple sharp pointy tool. You very often find love tokens or similar engraved coins from the 18th or 19th century with details stippled onto them. You can see an excellent example of a mid-19th century stippled love token on this Perth Mint article. It is not so commonly seen on 20th century coins, but someone clearly made an attempt to stipple an "S" onto this coin.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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