At What Point is Damage Considered "Damaged?"

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by JCro57, Jun 6, 2018.

  1. JCro57

    JCro57 Making Errors Great Again

    Here are some questions for y'all:

    1. At what point does a scratch on a coin get attributed as "details?" And what about Pitting? Corrosion? Verdigris? PVC?

    2. How can a single slight wheel mark scuff be considered damage, but dozens of reeding/bag marks don't?

    3. Are permanent fingerprint marks "damage?"(I say absolutely)

    I know these things pertain to each individual coin in hand; I get it.

    But what is the threshold for such things before it comes back with the dreaded details designation?
     
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. baseball21

    baseball21 Well-Known Member

    1. You know it when you see it

    2. Simple answer, every coin would be details graded damaged if bag marks from other coins were all it took

    3. Not at all. Theyre a form of toning.
     
    JCro57 likes this.
  4. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    tommyc03, JCro57 and NSP like this.
  5. NSP

    NSP Well-Known Member


    Here’s a wheelmark coin that made me sad when I saw it several months ago (judging by your wheelmark lamentations it’ll probably make you sad too). I challenge anyone who clicks on the link to guess what kind of coin you think it is first. Not the typical wheelmark victim.

    https://www.ngccoin.com/certlookup/2727405-003/NGCDetails/
     
    JCro57 likes this.
  6. JCro57

    JCro57 Making Errors Great Again

    paddyman98 likes this.
  7. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    If you think that's bad try and figure out why the TPGs say that wear caused by this or that is not wear at all, but wear caused by something else is wear. Then try wrapping your head around the idea of how PCGS can say, in writing in their own grading book, that coins with wear can be graded as high as MS67 !

    The real answer to your question about what is damage and what is not damage is somewhat complicated but not difficult to understand once you know everything involved. To do it you basically have to understand the history of numismatics, what its rules and definitions are, and why the those rules and definitions were created in the first place.

    When it comes to damage, the things that make it damage or not damage are severity, location, the size of the coin involved, and cause, and in some cases probable cause because exact cause cannot always be determined while in others it can be. Those are the basic rules established long, long ago, and accepted by the numismatic community as a whole. And they applied to all coins equally.

    But then the TPGs came along and at first they followed those same basic rules, in most cases anyway. But then they started making exceptions, and throwing in other qualifying or disqualifying criteria like the age of the coin, the scarcity of the coin, and sometimes even the value of the coin. Things that never before had anything to do with anything - but suddenly did just because they decided to do it because that's what their customers wanted. And in some cases they even changed policies ans rules they had previously followed and adhered to for years.

    So I'm not surprised you're confused because unless you know all these things anybody would be confused.
     
    paddyman98 likes this.
  8. JCro57

    JCro57 Making Errors Great Again

    Exactly. As Baseball21 said, you know it when you see it. But some are very faint. Others have big, elongated reeding marks on Libery's face from nose to chin on a Peace dollar but get strait graded.
     
  9. V. Kurt Bellman

    V. Kurt Bellman Yes, I'm blunt! Get over your "feeeeelings".

    Coin to coin marks don't count.
     
  10. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Correct, and that's one of those rules that were established long before any of us were born.
     
  11. V. Kurt Bellman

    V. Kurt Bellman Yes, I'm blunt! Get over your "feeeeelings".

    It can lower a number grade, but that's all.
     
  12. CoinCorgi

    CoinCorgi Tell your dog I said hi!

    So they do count. ;)
     
  13. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    Of course they count, when it comes to determining what the grade is. But they are not considered to be damage.
     
    CoinCorgi likes this.
  14. Conder101

    Conder101 Numismatist

    It all depends on the series and the grade of the coin. Marks that would be called damage on a modern coin may get a pass on an early coin, and marks or scratches that would be labeled as damage on AU or MS coins get a pass with no mention on a VG because lower grade coins are expected to have more problems.
     
  15. desertgem

    desertgem Senior Errer Collecktor Supporter

    Don't forget "follow the money", the better the grade on the 'specials' the higher the claimed value that XXX or XXXX or XXXXX company can claim.
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page