Micro-Coin Characteristics Quiz#1
Insider2
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Sorry, no prizes 
I am going to be posting micrographs of anything that can be found on coins. Some will be easy and some will not. The correct answer is whatever I say it is 
but feel free to disagree (giving your reason) so all of us can discuss it. I will usually post the answers late the next day after the quiz was posted.
In order to make this FUN for beginners. I'll ask the "experts" to PLEASE not guess what any of the images are until the next day. Otherwise, folks like (fill in the blank) will get all of them immediately - That's NO FUN. If no correct answer is given by the next day, the "experts" should PLEASE respond.
Hopefully, members will follow these suggestions:
1.Anyone can guess. That's because even an incorrect guess can open further discussion as to why it is incorrect.
2.The BEST guess is in two parts:
A. What characteristic the image shows.
B. What did you see in the image that led to your guess.
The Question: This is the edge of an eight escudo gold coin but the same "effect" can be seen on any coin. What characteristic of this edge do I want someone to notice from this image? What do you see?
Comments
I see some metal folded over the rim. Maybe it was a bit of a finned rim that got pounded or folded down thru use or handling?
Good eye. This stuff is not hard! These are NOT "trick questions." When we ALL learn about coins, we need to start somewhere. Use your eyes, and post what you see. I should have at least expected someone to reply "I SEE EDGE REEDING" before your post.
So, the image shows edge reeding and a folded over edge. Next Question? What did you see that would indicate that the edge (actually something happened to its rim) of this coin shows a "fold-over?"
Not a fully developed answer....but I'm kind of drawn to the scalloped look of the bottom of the reading, as well as the vertical lines IN the reading. At the macro level, (and logically in my little head), the reading seems like it should be pretty even and consistent.
So...I'm thinking some shaving/filing was done to acquire "free gold!" from the coin before it was spent or redeemed??
The folded over part goes over the reading, so if the reading was imparted at the time the obverse and reverse were struck, the folding over came afterward.
I had to give it a second thought though, as some edge treatments are done before the coin is struck....
Now you two are looking very closely at the image and BEST OF ALL you are able to describe the obvious things that are visible in the image! In the future, I'm not going to comment so quickly.
This one is not finished yet.
Before I reply, that a look at the edges of the coins in your collection. Do they look scalloped. Are there "lines" IN the reeding?
I don't think it matters whether the reeding was applied before or after the coin was struck. However, in this case the fold-over came after. I'm still waiting for someone to comment on two things, Why is the fold-over on this coin and why it should not be! Since it should not be, that is a clue to something.
If you look at the edge reeding on coins, and think about how they are struct...
Fold over is from moved metal, post mint.
Moved metal, maybe, because someone was trying to hide something on the obverse/reverse face of the coin.
WAG
Looks like maybe tool marks from filing the rim
The rim is not really shown but that is the cause of the rim metal being pushed over and on to the edge!
Still to answer: Why is this characteristic virtually never seen on a normally struck coin with no rim problem? Think about the operation of the coining press. What should edge reeds look like?
Cast coin?
What do you see to come to that conclusion? What does a cast edge usually look like?
Is it possible the planchet wasn't fully seated in the collar and a little metal flowed over the side of the collar during the striking process.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Yes sometimes I mix up edge and rim 😐
Maybe the raised lines on the milled edge
I guess I'm usedto seeing vertical edge reeding, this is angled, is that how the collars were produced for these coins?
In theory, it might be possible for a very tiny amount of a coin to stick out of the collar I guess but this coin has evidence of filing (not shown).
Many casts have a raised line in the central part of the edge. Then the fakers got wise and put the seam on the rim. This is not a cast and it has been ID'ed as a rim file. There is one thing in the image that proves something rolled the rim over - in this case the file marks (not shown).
Clue: What does the inside of the reeding look like on a normal, undamaged coin when it is struck?
As I understand it the edge reeding is pressed into the coin not cut into it. When I saw the marks i thought the coin was counterfeit, did not consider tooling.
This does not change any of my OP questions but the coin is a struck counterfeit. The rim was filed down to get the weight of the fake in tolerance.
Tomorrow I'll post what I want you all to see. All anyone needs to do is LOOK AT THE INSIDE of the reeds and put what you see into words. Describe what you are seeing to a blind man. It is a great exercise that get's you focused on details.
Love these posts - very informative
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Clue: What does the inside of the reeding look like on a normal, undamaged coin when it is struck?
Different shades of color/tone/dirt in the shallows of the reeds
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
from studying the edge reeding on trade dollars, on genuine coins there are 1 or more fine lines that extend the full length of the recessed groove. On the coin in the OP there is a repetitive defect inside the grooves that obliterates about half of the lines. I'm not sure what this means in this context, exactly, but it would be a big red flag on a later 19th c US coin.
Where’s the popcorn!
I'm ready for Micro-Coin Characteristics Quiz#2.
B. 1. The cut lines should not be there
2. The low points are brighter than the high points. This is what one sees on a freshly sharpened chainsaw, therefore, I thought the coin was counterfeit. Guess it is better to be lucky than good.
Here is something to look for on the edges of reeded coins. The collar that produces the reeds is machined. When a coin is ejected from a collar the insides of undamaged reeding should be smooth. If there were a pushed-over part for some reason, it would be obliterated. That leaves a smooth center - often w/drag lines. This edge is smooth in the grooves yet there is a rim at both ends of the reeding. Take a look at the edge of many Shield, Liberty, and Buffalo nickels and you'll see the drag lines on their smooth edges.
I'll post an image of the file marks on the rim later.
ls the 'reeding' shown actually damage from
the coin getting jammed in a counting or rolling machine?
Although the photo is really close up, I've see this 'angled'
effect on cents and nickels, as well as broadstruck (no normal
reeded edge) quarters.
This is an 18th century gold coin with an ""engrailed" edge.
Now folks, today's lesson that many of you already know! BUT I DID NOT.
Decades ago, I was taught this form of edge reeding is described as "Engrailed." I have used it, seen it used in print, and today (researching the term before answering Fred) saw it used on a major TPGS label for a Kentucky Token.
Apparently, "Engrailed" is a commonly misused word in numismatics to describe what is actually
"DIAGONAL EDGE REEDING!"
My apologies to all I have mislead in the past.
I wasn't even close !