Strange looking Kennedy from a Mint Set.

keets

I found this coin in a club dealer's stock a few months ago. What's puzzling is the way the fields look on both sides of the coin. It's a 1996-P that I photographed through the Mint cello and the effect is confined almost totally to the fields, though it can be seen on some of the reverse stars and some of the lettering and the date, but not the central devices. The obverse is especially strong.

It looks like flow lines under magnification, but with the naked eye it has the appearance of a sand-blasted Matte finish. The quality of the coin is MS66 and would probably grade MS67 were it not for a light scuff at the top of the shield. Can anyone give an opinion about what may have caused this type of finish?? Has anyone ever come across any denomination with the fields looking like this.

Thanks.

Al H.

lordmarcovan

<< <i>Strange looking Kennedy >>



They all are.

Russ

Murphy

Marco, what do you know about it - it doesn't have a hole in it! j/k

I got a penny with heavy flow lines like that.

lordmarcovan

Russ

Geez. He must be sleepin' or somethin'.

WaterSport

Is that a "strike adjustment" coin?????

WS

tsacch

flow lines of a deteriorated die?

Rampage

Al, I have seen that before mostly on Kennedy half dollars. They do look kinda neat don't they?

Steve27

I've seen that mottled look on a lot of Kennedys, but I've never heard a good explanation as too its cause.

Conder101

Can't see it well in the photos, but it looks like heavily flowlined worn dies.

BigGreek

I'm not sure its the same thing but I have an MS Peace $ with something
like what you describe. I always thought it was due to a corroded die. On
the coin I have the fields are MS but the flowlines appear disorganized.
This gives the coin a sparkly look rather than a reflective cartwheel.

cladking

I've often suspected that these come from poorly annealed or hardened dies which
simply wear out before the operator gets back to check them. Such coins tend to be
unusual in mint sets.

There are some strange surfaces on some of the mint sets coins and the '96 halfs are
included. There are multiple processes used to prepare these dies and they do differ.