Mutilated
Mutilated. A numismatic item, damaged and imperfect, which is lowered in both condition and value. Mutilated items are usually damaged beyond repair and are no longer collectible unless the piece is of extreme rarity. Mutilation is more than nicks and edge dents typical of normal wear but implies some willful act of man. Medals are sometimes vandalized (as scratching word or numbers into the metal surface) or obliterated (as removing the name or lettering from a surface).
excerpted with permission from
An Encyclopedia of Coin and Medal Technology
For Artists, Makers, Collectors and Curators
COMPILED AND WRITTEN BY D. WAYNE JOHNSON
Roger W. Burdette, Editor