I see. And so that could have the effect of devaluing the coin? Or is there some other purpose for the attack?
Yes, to some extent. Many collectors feel that a "X" face value coin should contain that exact amount.
Anything under or over would breach the collectible value plus you also now take into account a coin/amount that was not "maker funded"
Collectors aren't known as the wisest people around here. One way to counter it would be to dust all known addresses that are still funded.
I see. And so that could have the effect of devaluing the coin? Or is there some other purpose for the attack?
The purpose of a dusting attack is not devaluing a coin; it's usually either promotion or a privacy attack on UTXO sets.