Strange find in change today

vega1

Today I got a 1985-D Roosevelt in change from a snack machine at work that I can't quite figure out.

It seems to have normal wear, but the edges of the obverse are flattened to the point where the 'I' in "In God..." is gone as is the 'W' in "We" and the lower part of the '5' in the date. In other words the raised edge around the design is gone or flat, but not consistent with the actual wear on the coin.

But the really strange part is the reverse. The left side appears normal, but on the right side the letters in the legend flatten out and widen until they just run together in really wide, squashed together letters on the "USU-NUM". Same with the 'ERICA' in "AMERICA" (because its on te right side). Finally the 'M' in "DIME" is completely Gone, but all of the 'DI' and most of the 'E' is there.

I apologize, I'm not describing this very well, and I don't have a scanner. Any idea what this is? Struck through something maybe?

Thanks

coppercoins

I doubt that it's a struck through...it sounds like a slightly unusually weak strike. Weak strikes are pretty typical on dimes and look a lot like what you are describing. Some are weaker than others.

vega1

Cool, thanks. That makes sense.

Its actually pretty neat looking... and it only cost me 10 cents!

relayer

Does it look like this 1978 Weak Rim?

clackamas

Is it possible that it was struck on a foreign planchet?

richbeat

1985 was a particularly "weak" year for dimes.

vega1

Thanks for the scan relayer (is that dime slabbed?). Hmmm, It doesn't really look like that exactly. Its not as 'consistent' if you know what I mean. The details are still there in some spots (the hair, the ear, most of the fasces) but in other spots parts are just gone. Like the missing M in DIME, but not the E. Is a weak strike consistent with the really wide squashed letters and the mssing design elements I mention?

Sorry if these are silly questions. Just trying to learn what this thing is. Thanks for all the comments.

coppercoins

After some rethought, it could also be struck through grease filled dies. One pretty easy way to tell is that the areas missing design would have a mottled appearance from the metal flakes and impurities in the grease and dirt clogging the dies.

relayer

That dime isn't slabbed - not even by AGC. On a good day an error collector might give a buck for it.