When the term "hammered" takes on an entirely different meaning!

Windycity

1916 Buffalo Nickel apparently placed between leather straps and hammered to be a much larger size.

jacrispies

Looks pretty cool despite it being unfortunately damaged. Maybe I'll try experimenting with this technique.

renomedphys

At least it's not a doubled-die!

mr1931S

I seriously doubt that pounding between leather pieces produced the larger piece. Look at the well-defined rim on the larger-in-diameter piece. Doesn't look flattened at all.

Windycity

This is a very old piece - I have had it for 40+ years - That's the explanation I got many years ago.

braddick

It is an artform that requires a bit more than just beating a coin between pieces of thick leather.

Here is a Kennedy half that was 'stretched' (next to a Kennedy half that was artifically shrunk):

Windycity

didn't know a grading service would holder such a coin - even if listing it as damaged. Might have to have my nickel graded.

braddick

Back in the day they were called "Texas Dollars".
Here is my Morgan that was stretched. It retains much of its design elements somewhat not distorted:

jacrispies

@braddick Is the Texas dollar notably thinner than the normal Morgan?

Windycity

Like that Morgan - very cool.

Meltdown

I have never heard of that... pretty neat.

SanctionII

If the 1916 Buffalo nickel in the OP was struck between two pieces of leather in the 1980's I wonder if the person who did the striking was wearing "parachute pants" while singing "Can't touch this".

braddick

@jacrispies said:
@braddick Is the Texas dollar notably thinner than the normal Morgan?

Yes, by quite a bit. Probably about the thickness of a silver dime.

Manifest_Destiny

@mr1931S said:
I seriously doubt that pounding between leather pieces produced the larger piece. Look at the well-defined rim on the larger-in-diameter piece. Doesn't look flattened at all.

It can be done. It was more of a thing 40-50 years ago.

airplanenut

@renomedphys said:
At least it's not a doubled-die!

It’s a doubled die-ameter

ChrisH821

@SanctionII said:
If the 1916 Buffalo nickel in the OP was struck between two pieces of leather in the 1980's I wonder if the person who did the striking was wearing "parachute pants" while singing "Can't touch this".

That would be 1990.
I am interested in knowing how these are made, surely it is more involved than putting a coin between some leather and giving it a good whack. Does the metal need to be normalized or annealed first?