New Quiz - What do we call the horizontal lines on the face?

Discussion in 'US Coins Forum' started by Insider, Oct 1, 2020.

  1. Insider

    Insider Talent on loan from...

    By now you guys should know that I like to do these quizzes my way but I will buckle to criticism and attempt to please more of you by posting an image of the entire coin:

    IMG_4633.JPG

    This is a 1921 Morgan dollar. IMG_0144.JPG

    Two Part Quiz: What caused the horizontal lines on Liberty's face? What do we call the dark streaks?

    Hopefully the folks who know about minting errors will not respond with an answer too quickly so others can take a guess first.
     
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  3. longshot

    longshot Enthusiast Supporter

    Question 1: possibly album slide marks, though I'm not sure because they are not on the highest point of the cheek.
     
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  4. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    Are the "dark marks" dark from all angles, or are they brighter or darker than the rest of the coin depending on light and viewing angle?
     
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  5. Randy Abercrombie

    Randy Abercrombie Supporter! Supporter

    If I were looking at that, I would simply regard it as bag marks that have toned.
     
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  6. Lehigh96

    Lehigh96 Toning Enthusiast

    1) The scuff mark appears to be a wheel mark/counting machine damage though it usually has a slight curve that this does not. It just seems to severe to be an album slide mark IMO.

    2) The dark streaks are typically referred to as luster grazes or frost breaks.
     
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  7. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    In that case, they'd be bright marks instead of dark marks under some lighting angles, right?
     
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  8. Insider

    Insider Talent on loan from...

    JeffB, asked: "Are the "dark marks" dark from all angles, or are they brighter or darker than the rest of the coin depending on light and viewing angle?"

    What do you think? Dark from all angles, or brighter or darker than the rest of the coin depending on light.
     
  9. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    I think they're bag marks, caused by contact between coins during transport, which break the luster. If that's true, they'd change from bright to dark as you tilted and rotated the coin under a light source.
     
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  10. Lehigh96

    Lehigh96 Toning Enthusiast

    From an overhead angle with direct lighting, in my experience, they always appear dark.
     
  11. Mountain Man

    Mountain Man Well-Known Member

    That coin was used on machine #127 at Harrah's in Reno. Very distinctive marks.
     
  12. Kentucky

    Kentucky Supporter! Supporter

    The horizontal lines look like slide marks, the dark lines could just be random circulation scratches that have picked up dirt. Should coins like this be given a hot water rinse?
     
  13. Insider

    Insider Talent on loan from...

    Correct. The dark marks are bag marks as another member already posted.

    What about the other marks?
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2020
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  14. expat

    expat Remember you are unique, just like everyone else Supporter

    They look like die file lines that weren't struck out sufficiently after trying to erase a clash mark or similar
     
  15. Insider

    Insider Talent on loan from...

    If we file a die, it will put thin grooves into the die face. Think about what that would look like on a struck coin. Then explain why your post was not a good guess. ;)
     
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  16. Danomite

    Danomite What do you say uh-huh

    Dark marks appear to be bag marks as stated previously. Could the scrape be from a damaged planchet that was not fully struck out?
     
  17. expat

    expat Remember you are unique, just like everyone else Supporter

    To me the lines look raised. Obviously if they are incuse then PMD or a strike through. Or a wild guess at feeder finger marks but probably not in that location
     
  18. Kentucky

    Kentucky Supporter! Supporter

    Actually looking at those horizontal lines on the face, there is curvature to them. Could this be some abrasion from a counting or packaging machine?
     
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  19. -jeffB

    -jeffB Greshams LEO Supporter

    Honestly, to me, it just looks like "a scuff". Something dragged across the coin's surface after it was struck, hard enough to leave a track. If it's something more exotic than that, I can't tell from this photo with my level of experience.
     
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  20. Danomite

    Danomite What do you say uh-huh

    After a closer look, this has to be a scrape from (?) post mint and post bag marks. The color of the scrape appears lighter and I can see metal displacement across the dark marks .
     
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  21. ksparrow

    ksparrow Coin Hoarder Supporter

    There seems to be a slight curve to the group of cheek marks, so maybe from a coin counting machine. I don't think anyone has mentioned roller marks yet so I'll throw that out there for consideration.
     
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