What caused the dead center perfect circle? 0

[Hammersred]

Another pocket find, it has a perfect circle in the dead center. I thought maybe it was a die error, but not so sure

[Hoghead515]

Hard to tell. Maybe a coin wrapping machine. Its just damage. Theres no way it coulda happend during the minting process.

[Hammersred]

Not even if something slipped in when it was about to pressed?

[Sandon]

   When you post photos of coins on this site, please post clear, cropped photos that to the greatest extent possible show only the coin about which you have a question and not mostly the surface on which the coin is sitting.

   Based on what I can see after magnifying the obverse photo, the coin is clearly scratched, likely by a coin wrapping machine, which would have been wrapping a roll "dead center" relative to the coin. It appears that in some areas the scratch went deep enough to remove the copper plating from this cent and expose the underlying zinc core. This is not what something that was impressed into the coin as it was struck, known as a "strikethrough", looks like. 

   Contrary to what you may have seen on the internet, it is extremely uncommon to find significant mint errors in circulation. (Most that leave the mint are intercepted by personnel at banks and other coin distributors and sold to coin dealers.) In 52 years of collecting coins and searching through change, all I've found are a blank cent planchet and two "broadstruck" quarters, worth perhaps a few dollars each. Only one collector I know has ever found a significant error.  He is a man who is now about eighty and had been collecting and searching for decades who received an uncirculated cent that had been overstruck by nickel dies at a grocery store a few years ago. For every legitimate error, there are thousands of damaged coins.

   To learn what legitimate mint errors look like and how they are made, see the following resources:

Learn Grading: What Is a Mint Error? — Part 1 | NGC (ngccoin.com)

Learn Grading: What Is a Mint Error? — Part 2 | NGC (ngccoin.com)

Learn Grading: What Is a Mint Error? — Part 3 | NGC (ngccoin.com)

Learn Grading: What Is a Mint Error? — Part 4 | NGC (ngccoin.com)

Variety vs. Mint Error | NGC (ngccoin.com) and other topics that are shown when "mint errors" is entered in the search bar on the NGC home page.

For a comprehensive listing and description of mint errors, see the site error-ref.com.   

[Mike Meenderink]

That's just damage from a coin rolling machine. As others have stated here if you are going to look for error pennies then at least look for a real one.If you want something to shoot for that is realistic here's your target. Find one in this condition and its #5 of 4 ever graded and will be worth thousands. First read about this coin. Then read about the newly attributed error. Goodluck.

[powermad5000]

@Mike Meenderink the coin in the slab you posted here is also NOT an error. It is a variety. If it were an error, NGC would have attributed it as such unless the original submitter did not pay the $18 Mint Error fee, BUT, that being said, the condition of the coin in the slab does not fit the definition of what coins are a mint error anyhow. Thus it is a variety, not an error.

[Mike Meenderink]

On 7/31/2023 at 8:13 PM, powermad5000 said:

@Mike Meenderink the coin in the slab you posted here is also NOT an error. It is a variety. If it were an error, NGC would have attributed it as such unless the original submitter did not pay the $18 Mint Error fee, BUT, that being said, the condition of the coin in the slab does not fit the definition of what coins are a mint error anyhow. Thus it is a variety, not an error.

WHATEVER.. YES IT'S A DIE VARIETY MINT ERROR. AS IT'S NOT AS ITS SUPPOSED TO BE. THANKS CAPT OBVIOUS

[powermad5000]

I'll ignore your insult. There is EITHER a die variety OR a mint error. There is no such thing as a die variety mint error.

[RWB]

Hammersred --

It is damaged by either a coin counting or coin roll wrapping machine. It is not a mint error and has no value.

[Coinbuf]

On 7/31/2023 at 7:50 PM, Mike Meenderink said:

That's just damage from a coin rolling machine. As others have stated here if you are going to look for error pennies then at least look for a real one.If you want something to shoot for that is realistic here's your target. Find one in this condition and its #5 of 4 ever graded and will be worth thousands. First read about this coin. Then read about the newly attributed error. Goodluck.

 

To the op, and anyone else reading this thread or replies from @Mike Meenderink, I would caution you on accepting any of his advice.   So far he has offered more wrong advice than correct.

[VKurtB]

On 7/31/2023 at 9:50 PM, Mike Meenderink said:

That's just damage from a coin rolling machine. As others have stated here if you are going to look for error pennies then at least look for a real one.If you want something to shoot for that is realistic here's your target. Find one in this condition and its #5 of 4 ever graded and will be worth thousands. First read about this coin. Then read about the newly attributed error. Goodluck.

This is NOTHING also. It's a simple strike through on the obverse side. There in no V at all, let alone an extra one. I sliver of metal got on the die and left a V-shaped gouge on the coin. There are four of these and they were ALL SUBMITTED ON THE SAME FORM. NOBODY ELSE HAS ONE. Two are MS67 and two are MS68. It's a made up nothing.

Edited August 1, 2023 by VKurtB

[The Neophyte Numismatist]

Like others have said - machine roller damage.  Keep hunting and you will come across more, I guarantee it.  It's a common form of damage, and it always looks more-or-less the same (with a circular scratch/indentation just inside the rim).