I just received my new silver proofs and noticed this on the Olympic quarter. Looks more like a scratch than a die crack and it's in the oddest place...."E" on Quarter Dollar. The scratch goes on either side of the upper portion of the "E" without passing through it. So, what you guys think? Send the set back? Every other coin in the two sets that I have received today is flawless.
Is there any indication of the scratch or gouge on the E? I don't think it will hurt it's value unless it bothers you and you can't sleep at night because the E isn't perfect.
A scratch, I believe would be incised, groove like, while a die gouge would be raised on the coin. Can you tell if it's raised or incised on your coin?
It appears to be incised Chris. This is what puzzles me. How could the coin be mishandled (if this is indeed the case) and be scratched, ever so slightly, stopping at the E and then continuing on the other side? If the coin was scratched, the scratch would continue all the way through the E.
I agree with hamman, that this coin was struck through. A small piece of string or wire got stuck in the striking chamber and put a small indentation into the coin. These small errors are easily seen on proof coins and are common.