Please be a die mark....please...please...

I'm going to go with a nice nickel if dipped with what looks to be a 1943 S rim to rim die crack.

 

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This has been highly educational and entertaining. In sincerity I do appreciate the insights. For the record, fingerprints on Mint sealed coins are possible. See the picture below of a Blue Ike with a fingerprint inside the wrapping.

 

This guy (mint employee) could easily be identified! His civil service employment records are on file (with finger prints) at FBI HQS. He should be found, demoted and moved to the loading dock! Actually, if it happened back in 71' he's probably already dead.

 

If his job was the Ike Die he died of boredom!

 

Actually, this picture should be added to the FBI's finger print examination course, as a test for it's finger print experts.

 

LoL! That's funny. That's a pretty neat coin you have there. Two prints on one sealed coin! Nice!

 

Thank you thank you. I'm here all week. Yeah I thought I was cool. Figure I'll hang on to it as a conversation piece.

 

Absolutely. You'll wear out numismatic audiences for years with that one.

 

Yes but unfortunately I think those audiences are often "Tone" deaf.

 

This one I'm going with . .....Professor Plum , in the Library , and a Revolver . .....did I win?

 

Close. Col. Mustard. But so very close

 

Yes! it affects the coin's eye appeal. It is not damage because if it comes off with proper conservation IT WAS NEVER THERE. Damage is something that cannot be removed EVEN IF REPAIRED.

Also, let's please stop calling smudges, prints, corrosion, etc . PM anything! Everything we see on a coin has a name in numismatic terminology. Corrosion is PMD, it's called corrosion. Scratches are PMD, they are called scratches. Fingerprints are PMD, they are called f----------s. That's correct!

We are here to educate the new collectors. When one of them posts a photo of a Lincoln cent with part of the "1" pushed over, let's tell him his coin has a damaged "1" that was pushed out of position when something came into contact with his coin after it was struck. Makes more sense than PMD don't you think?

 

PS: I was told by a former ANACS grader in Ohio that the Director kept a mint sealed pack of coins in his desk to show complaining customers that the mint DOES DAMAGE coins while ANACS does not!

 

Well said @GDJMSP

And old fingerprints that are etched into a coin's surface are PMD but lets just call them fingerprints.

 

my head hurts

 

Why is that? Too much information? The little nuances such as the clarification of my post by @GDJMSP are important to know. That separates the informed numismatist from the rest of the pack of posters here. And welcome to Coin Talk!

If you understand the difference between a fingerprint that will come off a coin and preserve its eye appeal (very important for grading); and one that will not and might possibly lower its grade at a TPGS - BE THANKEFUL - no matter how badly your head hurts.

 

Thanks Insider, just a feeble effort to joke a bit. All kidding aside, the discussion is useful, and the little nuances of PMD, PSD are important. The photos posted of fingerprints were regrettable but so cool in a way, especially on the IKE set. - So know that no offense was intended.

 

Thinking of fingerprints, last night's lab was paper chromatography with amino acids developed by ninhydrin reagent. Lo and behold, student's fingerprints showed up on the chromatography paper.

 

UPDATE -- Sent this coin off to ANACS for grading. They're running a nice special right now which amounts to about 10 bucks a coin. Came back MS 65 and they didn't ding me for the fingerprint.