What's the story with this 1873 quarter?

[RI AL]

Actually, I posted this picture at the end of another thread (which coin do you regret buying) and I got a couple of very interesting PM's.(Thank you!) Anyway, I would like to take the liberty (no pun intended) to post the picture here and see what you guys think. The question is what may have caused the "damage" in the cap, hand and lap of Miss Liberty since all the marks seem to be in a straight line. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Could these marks be mint generated? RI AL

 

[WoodenJefferson]

Does not appear to be a “gouge“, metal moved by a force, but seems to be “eroded” in those areas, called “pitting” as in a chemical reaction type pit where the surrounding metal transformed into an oxide. But what bothers me is the fact that this area must have at one time been cleaned to expose the sub surface metal, which is actually brighter in color than the rest of the coin?

 

Why just those areas? Too many unknowns to postulate what has happened here, but it’s to bad, such a nice coin otherwise.

 

Pure speculation without an analysis though, good luck.

[BillJones]

I'd take another track.

 

I think that those marks were caused by somewhat dull pointed instrument. I can't see where a chemical drip would cause that look.

 

At any rate, I would not waste my money on trying get this one graded or put into a "genuine" holder. It's a reasonable looking example of a tough type coin ...

 

And to be honest the three 1873-4 with arrows silver type coins are among the least interesting to me, and I'm type coin nut. They were among the last pieces that I acquited when I finished my set the first time and among the last this type.

[RI AL]

Thanks for your thoughts, Guys. I guess the 1973 quarter will remain a mystery. Oh well, we'll see what its destiny holds.

 

RI AL

[coinman1794]

The picture is way too small to tell what's going on. It is iether damge, corrosion, or a rusted die.

[RI AL]

Coinman, I can't get a bigger picture with my crappy camera. I am leaning toward the "damaged" assessment but I just don't quite understand what type of damage or how it might have happened. Several good theories in this thread, however.

[Oldtrader3]

AI, if it was one small area on the surface (as on the hand) it might be construed as a planchet flaw (?), but several areas, no way.