Proof 1863 Seated Dollar

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I don't doubt that that happened on occasion. But I also believe that many proof coins have acquired hairlines over the years, other than through wiping. The surfaces of proof coins are very fragile and if they slide around in an envelope or a flip or a tray, for example and/or accidentally come into contact with something, they can be negatively impacted.

 

Probably for the same reason a lot of coins are cleaned or dipped today .
rzage

 

I'm usually among the first to scoff, but there's nothing to scoff at in the above post. Well said.

 

But aren't most hairlines tiny , about the size a cloth would make , also at what size are hairlines considered scratches .
rzage:whistle:

 

It seems to me that hairlines can be seen in many different sizes and/or directions.

Regarding precisely what distinguishes a scratch from a hairline, my short answer is that I don't know. However, I think of scratches, even very small ones, as displacing metal and showing evidence of such. That result gives a different appearance from hairlines, regardless of their size.

 

Doug, I like that expression - "rough handling" and it would have been a heck of a lot easier to have just written that, instead of what I did.

 

Hairlines or no hairlines im jealous

 

Well, the seated halves and dollars seem to really suffer from this. I don't doubt it has to do with the dating. By 1920 or so they would be about 60 years old and seriously toning with nobody like me around to yell at them "DON'T CLEAN YOUR COINS"

Ruben