There is no raised area other than the normal features of the coin - the rim and the letters. It would have taken a very precise operation for the metal to have been removed post mint, because it was removed, not moved. It's almost as if something interfered with the strike, a piece of metal or something like that.
Also, the rim on the obverse, directly opposite the damage, is flattened, which it would be if something interefered with the strike.
Matt
Edited by StJoeBlues
05/09/2010 2:18 pm