Wasn't me; I think Jim supplied that info. I suspect your appearance theory may be correct, however.@BGinGA mentioned that the lower denoms were meant to be THC but Paulson screwed up.
I wonder if the smoother area around the small inlays is just a result of there being no cross hatching there. The compression of the clay into a smooth surface (where there would normally be a much larger inlay) might provide the illusion of a laminated surface, but it may just be smooth, shiny clay.
Going from memory, prices on mint secondaries ranged from 75c for the RHC $1 chips, $1.50 for 50c, $5s, and $25s, $3 for hundos, and around $5-6 for the $500s. The used primaries were cheaper.Any idea on what pricing was for the PCA sale?