Hi, every one, I am new to this great forum. I was hopping to get some help one a silver eagle I bought back in 2006. It is a NGC certified 2006 first strike gem UNC, actually my first coin I had ever bought, so I consider my self a new B to collecting coins. Well the other day I was looking through my part stack of eagles when I noticed something different about this 2006 first strike. Looking at the sun on the obverse side I saw a large blob on it sticking out, which no other eagle I have has. Then on the reverse near the 1 oz there is a big, what looks like, a flake missing on the back. Is this an error? Help would be a big help to a noon like me. The coin is sealed never touched since new, in the slab of course. Thanks all. Added note the reverse sort of looks like a stain in the pic but is actually indented like a thin layer had chipped off or there was maybe something in between the die and blank during the process? Seems strange NGC would place a gem label on a coin like this, I really wonder if they really even looked at it. Like someone there just slapped a label on it without even looking at it. Thanks once more.
It's difficult to tell from your photos what it may be. First, the term "Gem Uncirculated" could mean any coin grading at least MS65 which is not a particularly high grade for Eagles. Additionally, if in the opinion of the NGC graders, the anomaly was caused during the minting process, it would not affect the numeric grade. The fact that this coin does not have a numeric grade probably indicates that it came from a bulk submission (there are no photos for the cert #), and the person (or company) that submitted them requested that those coins that did not meet their minimum grade be slabbed with the generic "Gem Uncirculated" just to be able to get the "First Strikes" attribution. For what it's worth, NGC no longer uses the "First Strikes" attribution after a lawsuit filed in Tampa against them a few years ago found for the plaintiff. Instead, they are now using "Early Releases". Personally, I don't think that either attribution is worth the premium normally attached to it. "First Strikes" or "Early Releases" could mean the one-millionth coin struck just as easily as the first coin struck. Chris NOTE: I should add that I'm not 100% sure that NGC lost the court case. They may have settled out of court. I can't remember.
Sorry , so I tried once more to get better photos, ran out at lunch.he he.. It is hard to get depth in the photos. The bump on the sun sticks outward like a blob of silver was dropped on it. The so called sticking out blob has the same finish a the rest of the coin and no dents or damage on the corresponding spot on the back, so I'm pretty sure its not damage. The back it looks like the finish .just flaked off or just fell off. Sort of like there was bubbles in the silver on the front, the reverse I have no clue. Well here are some other pics
