GTG 1944-S Jefferson Nickel (NGC)

MS 67….nice relatively mark-feee coin….and it takes a lot more to get a star for a nickel at NGC so unfortunately I don’t think this one made it

 

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@eddiespin @kSigSteve @Santinidollar @RonSanderson

 

It aged well. I don’t know about that + and * junk or exactly what those mean to the grade but I can tell for myself what’s eye appealing without their help. This one’s got a couple of pinpoint hits however they don’t disturb the graceful eye movement through the coin. MS67, lest I’m blind.

 

67

 

Looks like a solid 67 to me. Obverse 67 Reverse 66. Only thing distracting to me was what seems to be a carbon spot on the reverse under the R. Strike seems a bit soft with no steps and the columns near the top not fully visible.

 

This wasn't my submission, but this is NGC's new thing, the phantom wheel mark. Hey NGC, if I look at the coin for 10 minutes, and still can't find the wheel mark, then it isn't severe enough to details grade the coin.



I think the coin is a solid MS67.

 

That's unexpected. Another odd grading from NGC (and luckily not one you had to pay for the grading fee).

 

In hand do you see a counting wheel mark if you tilt at an angle?

 

No, and this isn't the first time I have encountered a phantom wheel mark. They did it to my 1943/2-P that I submitted a few months ago.

 

They’re idiots, Lehigh. Let me explain to you why. I’ll illustrate on a Morgan silver dollar. When those are minted, typically, they’re presumptively pristine. But look at them. Hardly any escape post-mint luster grazes and coin hits. Those are collateral to the minting process. The minting process is over at that time. They’re due to the bagging. Why aren’t those getting details grades by NGC? These wheel marks are the same thing, except due to the rolling, after bagging. It’s just at the next stage, before the coins are released. Why the luster grazes and coin hits get a pass, but these wheel marks don’t? A lot of the former happens after the bags left the Mint and they’re in transit to the counters and rollers. They happened outside the Mint just like these wheel marks happened. These wheel marks if anything should lower the grade in the same way the luster grazes and coin hits lower the grade, they shouldn’t details the grade, that’s preposterous.

 

Is it on the right side of the Monticello? Wow, I figured it was a bag mark.

 

I agree 100%.

I have no idea where it is, IMO it doesn't exist.

 

Is it on the reverse by the NT?

 

Wheel marks are done post mint, that area is only affected on the fields which means it is roller marks on the planchet that weren't obliterated because of the soft strike, or the lines are die polish. If the that area was in fact a wheel mark, the damage would have to affect the lettering of MONTICELLO as well.

You are the first person to notice this area, and honestly, I think the grader saw this, and mistakenly deemed it a wheel mark when it isn't. But this is the whole purpose of having coins seen by several graders, the other guys should have caught this mistake.

 

I've seen that die polish on cents too. I don't see any wheel marks in the photo.

 

My local dealer sent some Roosevelt’s for grading and they came back as Details - Wheel Mark. I looked at them and saw a bright shiny spot that was on the field and butted up exactly against the side of Roosevelt’s bust. There is no way to get a mark on the low point and exactly miss the high point. Unless you mark the die rather than the coin.

Here’s one of my old posts on Wheel Marks. I see a roller mark from forming the planchet sheet, but that’s it. If you find the mark, let me know!

How is it that we are better at this than the professional graders? I mean, really!

What's a wheel mark, and where is mine?

 

.

 

Oh, I don't think that they don't know what they are doing, I think they were given a memo that stated specifically to look for wheel marks so now anytime these guys see anything that remotely looks like a wheel mark, out comes the details grade.

Wheel marks are not small, they are big an ugly, you shouldn't need to scour the coin for 10 minutes under a loupe to find it (see examples below).

 

We all can’t be wrong. What now @Lehigh96 I got to look up wheel marks.

 

These are the 4 spots I see on the coin that could make a circle. Better yet sitting in a bag. Hard to see the arrow pointing to the mark on the R. If they are picking that out as a details grade, well that sucks, Sorry Man?