I see posts often in different groups and forums asking about damaged coins. I will start out by saying this. Don't waste your time trying to figure out how a coin got damaged. There are an infinite number of ways anything can be damaged. Instead, focus that energy on studying the minting process and how errors or varieties are made. In some cases, damage can be explained. This article is about a specific type of damaged coin. The generally accepted term for this type of damage is "dryer coin". But, don't let that term fool you, a dryer is not always the culprit. Although in many cases, it is. The term dryer coin is usually used to describe a coin that has been stuck in a rotational device under pressure while being exposed to heat. It is also used to describe coins that have rotational types of damage on them. I am going to try to explain each case using visuals. Please bear with me as I build this post. I am currently collecting sample photos and will also be making visual on PowerPoint to explain how this damage occurs.
The first example is what I would consider a true "dryer coin. These coins somehow get stuck in between the inner tub (where the clothes go) and the outer drum of commercial dryers on edge and get rolled between the 2. The coins are under constant even pressure and being exposed to the heat of the dryer. In turn, this flattens out the edge and folds it over. Do not confuse this with a "spooned" coin. Although they appear similar, you will notice on a spooned coin, the edge is not flat, but instead looks hammered. This crudely done diagram below visualizes what happens.
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How a True Dryer Coin is made.
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Below is a collection of photos of different types of, what we call, "dryer coins".
These I believe to be the ones stuck in between the 2 tubs as outlined above in the visual diagram. The overall diameter of the coin shrinks as the rim becomes wider and wider. In some cases, the rim will fold over and flatten against the coin faces.
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This next batch I would also call dryer coins. I believe these were stuck in the fins within the actual dryer tub. Notice that the coin retains it's overall diameter, but the design elements become mushy or smoothed away.
This type of coin is also often referred to as dryer coins, but I would lean more towards a coin stuck in a washing machine pump. The diameter of the coin gets smaller and the metal that is displaced folds over the rim and flattens out. All of the details also have rotational damage to them.
This final batch of coins are NOT dryer coins. These are known as "spooned" coins, although a spoon is hardly ever used these days. As the story goes, sailors would use a spoon to pound silver coins into rings during their long journeys across the oceans. This practice is still done today, but usually does not involve a spoon. Although they may appear similar to some dryer coins, these were intentionally hammered with the purpose of making a ring.
This image below shows a coin being spooned and what it looks like at different stages.
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