Strange penny found (questions)

[dirty fingers]

Had someone answer one of my CL adds for jars of change wanted. Got a few nice coins from it, a couple rose's 3 steel wheats, some wheats from the teens, and one 'strange' penny.

This penny is a 96d. It really stood out. I had 38.00+ from the buy, pulled a couple steel wheats (shiny, nearly AU). I found another steel, and then I found this one. It looked strange. I thought it was steel but rusty. Then I started looking closer. For one thing, it is almost a mm larger in diameter than most pennies. It also looks like it is poured (counterfeit 96d cent????). The weight is right (2.49g from an accurate scale). But the look is VERY off. I metal detect also, so know what a nitrated zinc looks like, and this one does not. It really looks like sand poured. The entire coin is pimpled. It shows well under 7x, and really well under 10x or 20x.

Also, this coin is rejected with 'proper' copper and 'proper' zinc out of the ryedale. I can get it to accept with a zinc coin in the comparator, but I have to adjust so far CC that it starts accepting most wheats, even the 40's.

I really wish I had a camera that could take pics of this thing. The lettering stands out, like steel. I almost think it was missing the copper plating, but the weight is 'almost' dead on.

Anyone have any ideas about just what this ugly thing could be? I have never seen one like this before. Ugly, but does not look like any buried coin (metal detector) I have seen before.

[blackrabbit]

We need photos. Probably just damaged.

[dirty fingers]

But why would it be larger diameter than a normal penny. It is noticeable, at least 1mm, but probably 1.5-2mm larger in diam.

I will see if I can get a hi res scan of the thing.

[blackrabbit]

Maybe it was crushed which removed the copper plating and flattened it out a bit?