What the heck is this? I've never seen such, it looks like Jefferson is in someone's crosshairs.

JeffersonFrog

The circle at Jefferson's temple. Strangest ever die crack? Once in a lifetime die polish? Someone punch the die? Other?

DCW

It's certainly weird. And it looks raised, too. I've got nothing

lkenefic

@FredWeinberg

Wow... looks perfectly symmetrical... odd.

Fraz

It has the shape of a piece of a spring—the ends don’t meet.

Edit—I mean to say helical.

dcarr

A lacquer bubble ?

Or maybe a circular-shaped metal shaving was struck into a prior coin, and that left a circular mark on the die ?
I've had similar (but not as perfectly round) die marks occur.

tttwo

Maybe similar to the "Nightcrawler" variety Ike. It is thought to have occurred when the die was hubbed through some sort of debris, leaving an impression in the die that resulted in the raised bit of metal referred to as the nightcrawler (photo below borrowed from the Ike Group web page for this variety.) Maybe this die was likewise hubbed with a small bit of a spring as Fraz suggests or some other object that just happened to be nearly circular, that left its impression in the die and the shape transferred to the resulting coins. I'm guessing it would show on at least the early strikes, probably fading as the die wore.

tttwo

Sorry about the tiny picture and extra space, not sure what that's all about.

ChrisH821

@tttwo said:
Maybe similar to the "Nightcrawler" variety Ike. It is thought to have occurred when the die was hubbed through some sort of debris, leaving an impression in the die that resulted in the raised bit of metal referred to as the nightcrawler (photo below borrowed from the Ike Group web page for this variety.) Maybe this die was likewise hubbed with a small bit of a spring as Fraz suggests or some other object that just happened to be nearly circular, that left its impression in the die and the shape transferred to the resulting coins. I'm guessing it would show on at least the early strikes, probably fading as the die wore.

@tttwo said:
Sorry about the tiny picture and extra space, not sure what that's all about.

Looks like an uncropped screen capture, let me help with that.

leothelyon

It's likely leftover metal debris from the cutting of the master hub during the reducing the image stage. Metal debris usually curls as the lathe bit spins and removes metal as the design is cut into the hub as it's turned....is my guess! While there are lathe lines seen within the words, "WE TRUST", the overall strike does not appear to be of the "earliest" die state strike. So if it is a long piece of curled debris that was not cleaned off the master hub, it would appear raised on the coin.
I haven't notice this on the few 1940-D's I have.

Leo

Shurke

My first thought was trephination scar. But the suggestions about metal shavings make more sense.