What would cause this to Washington's head. PMD?

[wdrob]

I would assume PMD but there does not seem to be corresponding damage to the reverse. I also thought it could possibly have been something on the die - strikethrough.

 

His head is definitely deflated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RWB]

He didn't have his seat belt on.

[wdrob]

He didn't have his seat belt on.

 

Well if that is the best you got Roger then I don't think the answer will be forthcoming.

 

 

 

[RWB]

...No airbag on his horse ..?

[wdrob]

...No airbag on his horse ..?

 

OK. you win.

 

No airbags. And furthermore, from my extensive research, I have concluded that they did not require the seat belt to be standard equipment on equine until well after 1800 which, of course, would not have benefited Mr. Washington in the least, as he insisted on remaining prone during most (if not all) accounts of his whereabouts from 1799 to date.

 

Yet I am still undecided.

 

 

 

[Conder101]

OK all fun aside. to answer the question it has been heated to the point the clad layer became "plastic" (softened enough to stretch but not yet liquid) and a gas bubble trapped between the clad layers expanded creating a bulge in the coin. Then as the coin cooled the bulge collapsed.

 

When the bulge was created the image on the coin was stretched, but coppernickel isn't rubber and it doesn't "snap back.

[wdrob]

Cocder, do I read your response to mean that it was PMD and nothing during the minting process?

 

I am having a difficult time understanding what you mean by "When the bulge was created the image on the coin was stretched" ...

 

I took that image of the coin someone had given my wife to ask me what has caused that. After studying it for a while I really could not say either way. I suspected PMD but the reverse does not have any characteristics of the obverse.

 

It looks like a coin would look if it were shot with a .22 caliber round, and did not penetrate, but even that would have caused the reverse to bow out a bit in my thoughts.

 

Thank you for the attempt with a straight answer, regardless.

 

 

[Conder101]

The coin was struck normally. It was subsequently heated (PMD) and probably from the obv side. The gas bubble was between the copper core and the obv clad layer. When the bubble expanded it stretched and distorted Washington's features. Then as I said the bubble collapsed during the cooling that creates the dimple in it. (Like I said the metal, once stretched, doe not "snap back" to it's original position.

[Mr. Smith Guesser]

Someone coulda used a small torch, like one of those cigarette torches, to melt the head.

[wdrob]

OK. I'll buy that.

 

Thanks for the opinions.