Unusual also posted by JDMillet

[CSJournals-migration]

I wonder what these marks are!

 

Hummm, I guess that these marks, must mean something.

 

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[coinsbygary]

Those marks look like die polish marks to me since they appear to be in relief and are broken by the motto. To extend the life of the dies damaged by normal repeated use the mint polished over the surface defects. On the die face these lines were in recuse and they transferred to the coin in relief. Also since the lettering is recuse in relation to the die face they do not continue on top of the lettering. These marks are quite common on many of our coins.

 

Luster lines on the other hand tend to be a little finer and they cause a cartwheel effect when you rotate the coin in the light. As the planchet metal flows at striking it etches lines into the dies radiating from the center to the rim. These lines also transfer to the coin as relief.

Gary