ANACS: What Does It Mean #2

In case you don't remember, "ANACS: What Does It Mean #1" was a question about the meaning of "MS-60/DETAILS" on an ANACS slab.

Question #2 is, "What is meant by "SCRATCHED" on this ANACS label?"
This time I asked them first before I posted the question here, so I know the answer (unlike Question 1 which I did backwards).

 

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Are you asking how big the scratch has to be before they say it is scratched?

 

Nope, just what is the meaning of "SCRATCHED".

 

I always thought it meant there was a scratch on the coin , though I can't see one on this one .
Rusty

 

Forehead to the curls of the hair.

 

Thanks I need some new glasses .
Rusty:thumb:

 

The pics are pretty small. One can barely see the scratches on the forehead. I wonder if the other TWO would have just BB'd the coin. Luckily ANACS will authenticate a damaged coin.

 

In this case, I believe that ANACS is referring to the scratch across George's forehead/hair.

 

p.s. Kanga, tell us, does the scratch look "shiny" or "new"? Or would you describe it as old? Just wondering (and hoping to incite some discussion about the differences between the two)....Mike

 

I haven't gotten into analyzing the coin yet, although I agree the one that looks like a headband is rather prominent.

I was thinking about what the term "scratched" meant to ANACS.
Basically they apply the term "scratched" to any coin that has a rather prominent scar that cannot be attributed to cleaning.
Stuff like staple scratches caused when a person is not careful when opening a 2x2.
They said a coin can have BOTH attributes (scratched and cleaned) so they obviously differentiate between causes.

Here's a much larger image of the obverse.
I think it makes it pretty clear what they meant.

 

Don't most, if not all, older coins have a scratch or two of some sort? Especially non mint state coins. I have a really nice double eagle with a very small scratch - I'm worried that if I have it graded it will come back in a body bag. How much of a scratch is needed to have a coin not be graded?

 

Post a photo so we can see. Small scratches on circulated coins will not get a coin body bagged, but any medium to large scratch indicative of mishandling will for sure get it bb'd.

 

hard to see those 2 little boogers

 

I believe that unlike hairline scratches a scratch on a ANACS slabbed coin is a more visible scratch that catches the eye. I myself have a 1914-D 5C from anacs F-12 scratched net VG-8, even though the scratch isn't that prominent.

 

I suspect there are only guidelines (not rules) on when to invoke the "scratched" descriptor.
After that it's up to the graders. I assume there's more than one.

 

Scratched means scratched

Just what is says, the coin is scratched so much so that the grade has to dip or otherwise be negatively affected. I would not have been as generous as ANACS was but I'm sure it was because it's a key date. This coin has been really damaged and I mean bad. Either it was skipped across a highway a few times are somebody did it on purpose, such a shame.
I would buy the coin at no more than VF-25 money and would not want it at that. Especially as there are so many of this date that are nice albeit expensive.
Remember, "there is no price too little for a problem coin".
Ben Peters

 

if this coin is EF45 than almost all of my coins are are cherry !!! are different coin rating places more lax than others or is it whoever rated my coins was in a hurry and just plopped a number down without really looking at details. I am curious I don't mean to be rude , I just wondering who I should go to from now on for a good and fair rating ?

 

Good eyesight. I missed that.

 

try top of the head... just under the B and the E... look at the larger picture... that is definitely why it is in a scratched holder.

 

Natural question. And unfortunately true that no two places are the same. I've known many people that take a NGC slab, break it open, send to someone like ANACS to get a better grade. HOWEVER, contrary to that I've known others that have told me just the oposite. Possibly why PCGS has such a great reputation. They are fairly well known to be more precise but harder on grades. You can usually tell a typical TPGS abilities by going to a coin show and noting the difference in prices for similar coins from different TPGS's. Of course that too is of no real proof since all dealers value things a little differently.
I read somewhere there were 107 well established TPGS's in existance. This was a few years ago and that number may well have gone up or down. I was recently told one of them is a guy in his basement doing it because he can.
My opinion is to just grade your own coins.