Numismatic Fun Quiz #3, ANSWERED on 11/8
Insider2
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Sorry, no prizes 
as it takes me over a week to mail them to the winner.
I'm posting the rules NOW so you all can absorb them before the contest starts.
The Non-Contest:
I am going to be posting micrographs of anything that can be found on coins. Some will be easy and some will not. The correct answer is whatever I say it is 
but feel free to disagree (giving your reason) so all of us can discuss it. Images will be posted in this thread at my discretion - several each week. I will post the answers late the next day after it was posted.
In order to make this FUN for beginners I'll ask the "experts" to PLEASE not guess what any of the images are until the next day. Otherwise, folks like (fill in the blank) will get all of them immediately - NO FUN. If no correct answer is given by the next day, the "experts" should PLEASE respond. The answer for each image will usually be posted in the afternoon when I add another image.
The Rules:
1.Anyone can guess.
2.The BEST correct answer is in two parts. A. What characteristic the image shows. B. What are the reasons, what did you see to determine your answer.
NEW IMAGE:
What caused the change of color of the eagle's breast feather on this Trade dollar?
Comments
Looks like someone tried to "improve" it and not at the mint.
I am not going to over think this time. First thing that comes to mind.
Milk spot?
Milk spot, and or re tooling after filling a hole? If so, it is fine intricate work
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
PVC/Spot/Toning removal?
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
Putty?
My YouTube Channel
agree.........
I double agree; and disagree with my initial post.
Yup, putty came to mind as it has that hazed look.
bob
I haven't a clue. That's why I am here to learn.
My first thought was that someone took a cotton swab and some coin dip such as e-z-est to remove a spot on the eagles breast. Also, putty is a possibility but in my experience putty is not normally put on such a small limited area. It's hard to tell from a pic and I'd have to see the coin in hand.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I've stared at it so long I started hallucinating. I'll guess chemical used to remove a spot.
"A dog breaks your heart only one time and that is when they pass on". Unknown
I'm definitely new to this. I don't know exactly what it is, but I see characteristics worth noting.
First, the white substance covers the surface entirely - and seems to have settled into depressions. This suggests to me that it was a relatively thin liquid initially, but hardened. Perhaps it was a thick liquid that settled over time. (I ought to add that when studying the 2D close-up, at times my eyes make me question if the depressions are really ridges. If so, then my speculation is certainly off.)
It seems applied to a raised area of the coin and well contained around one section. So it seems to have been applied deliberately. I see faint evidence of a stroked running almost N to S with a slight angling toward SE, but for the most part the substance settled with a relatively smooth surface. Above the main area, it looks like a horizontal wipe, perhaps with a cloth. And because it is more weakly applied, I'd guess it was a mistake that someone tried to wipe.
I don't know if this is the type of assessment you are looking for, but it is what I'm seeing.
My strategy is about collecting what I intend to keep, not investing in what I plan to sell.
Spot removal effort.....I have done similar myself.... Cheers, RickO
This is a little harder so I'll let it run until later this afternoon. Calling the "experts."
It's a repair. The metal is a different color and the feather lines appear to be hand-engraved.
Looking again, it almost looks tooled.
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I had to orient myself as to what part of the coin this was. Eagle's left (viewer's right) leg, typically the most weakly struck part of the reverse, has had some feathers re-engraved, then it was chemicaled in that area to hide the engraving. "Putty," nose grease, cat urine, Houck's Panacea, I don't know, but whatever it was eventually discolored the coin.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Holed ...repaired.. tooled... and some pvc to boot.
Holed???
It is not an eagle. It is a parakeet. The feather is quite diagnostic.
Possibly a ptarmigan.
I didn't think putty would be used in such an uneven area, especially to that extent. Because the edges of the discoloration were so uneven, I would think metal cooling quickly might have caused it, but just a guess.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
It's Mango!
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
Eraser.
Really????
I've been thinking those were leaves all this time.
Pete
And what's behind LEAVES?
BIRDS! That's what!
I'll be answering around 5:30. Does anyone have objections if I comment refute some of their guesses with the reasons?
Also, a hint: This is the breast of a US Trade dollar.
This is the answer. It is a repaired chop mark. Unfortunately, the different color draws your eye right to it. If The entire surface was the gray color of the edges of the image, very many folks would miss the reengraved feather detail! I'll see if I can find a type 1 reverse to post but if you pull an image of an 1873 or 1874 Trade dollar, the different design of the unaltered coin will "jump out."