Mysterious coin

[Carson Ables]

I found this very interesting coin. The obverse is very worn with barley any detail noticable. The only thing I can see is "Berty", 19??, and a D mint mark. There is a slight curve on the third number of the date, which leads me to think it is a 1960s era coin. The reverse is COMPLETELY smooth, as if nothing were ever there. No worn metal, no sign of any previous design. The edge of the coin is dented. What are your thoughts on it? What could have happened to make it this way?

[Daniel]

You can create this by rubbing the coin with a file or fine grit sand paper. It's after mint damage.

[Paul]

:agree:

[Carson Ables]

Thanks guys, I figured it was post-mint, but still wondering how it could have happened. I've never seen a coin in worse condition before.

[Earle42]

This can easily be accomplished on a belt sander instead of spending hours doing it by hand. Note you can see the parallel scratches on some of the surface areas. They obviously put it against the belt a number of different times b/c not all of the sets of parallel scratch lines run the same direction. It also looks like they deliberately held the coin at slight angles to remove any trace of the rim.

One of my hobbies is restoring old hand tools, and frequently my thin belt sander is used to remove casting marks (likening it to the coins rim removal). Holding a small dowel or stick behind the moving belt also will allow specific targeting of areas on the object and aids in more precise removal of material/surface blemishes/gouges. The sander makes quick work with steel tools let alone how fast it works on copper.