PCGS MS67 Ike with crop circle - any thoughts?

DHeath

OK, I look too closely at my coins, but I have come across an unusual mark, that I hope one of you with more knowledge about the mint process will be able to identify. This coin has a depression in the center of the reverse. It isn't obvious, and if it didn't disect the bell, I probably would have missed it. It is not present on the obverse, and doesn't look like a die clash. Any thoughts as to which machine would have made the mark? The depression is dead center, and even though it isn't apparent from the photo, the circle is complete. It is just inside the area I highlighted. Upon closer examination, there is a second, smaller circle inside the first.

tsacch

struck through round piece of rag/cloth?

LucyBop

FULL BELL LINES WITH A STRONG PASS AND STOW!



Ok, I feel better now.....Whew!

cladking

Probably aliens or a planchet defect, but the size doesn't look familiar in either case.

supercoin

It's not a strike-through or error... I've seen it on a number of bicentennial Ikes, so it's presumably part of a master die or even a hub. But, I'm embarrassed to say, I don't know why.

I read or heard a plausible-sounding explanation once but try as I might I can't remember it. So I'll go along with crop circles for now.

fcloud

If it is not a die clash, it must be in the planchet. There's not too many choices.

fcloud

I just pulled out a PR67CAM, it has the same circle, maybe it is on the hub, and therefore on all '76s?

DHeath

Fcloud,

That is very interesting. If it is present on the proof die as well as the die used to strike the silver MS coins, I'll bet it is on the master reverse. I'll look and see if it exists on the (1975) T1 coin.

prooflike

Why don't you try asking the mint??

fcloud

Here is a photo of the proof.

DHeath

Great pic, and that is exactly like this one, down to the smaller inner circle. That eliminates the planchet.


BTW - Lucy, Don't you wish the bell lines were as easy on old Ben?

cladking

On the few mint set type 2's I just checked it doesn't really show up. You can see
a little of it if you know where to look. It seems more prominent on the type 1's!

The mint has answered questions about this but I can't remember where I saw it.

It may have been something about reduction of mechanical doubling.

DHeath

Thanks CK. I see the same thing on my T2's but really, really faint. I'll be looking now for T1's that don't have that diagnostic, to see if all are the same. I need to check and see how many die pairs were used. It'll be fun research.

IrishMike

Very interesting, I just pulled out two sets of the red envelope Silver Uncirculated Set 1776-1976 and both of them have the outer circle and one of them has the inner circle. Watson the game is on.

keets

...........i had a '76 3-pc.proof set handy and it shows up. the most plausible reason without giving it much thought is that it came from a master hub.

al h.