Let's Talk Bag Marks

So, tomorrow I'm going to the coin dealer to practice my pickiness of selecting a Franklin or two. In looking through my collections I'm working on tonight I decided to look at the Prez and Sac dollars. Then a thought crossed my mind, and I figure it would be wise for me to know of the possibility: Can a person distinguish a bag mark from an uncirculated coin vs a contact mark from a newly circulated one? If not, I guess the distinction of "uncirculated" may have a biased meaning reserved for those with very few contact marks (luster and strike aside-just looking strictly at the term circulated vs uncirculated and not the grade). And, just so we are on the same page, I am viewing a contact mark as generally anything causing a coin to recieve a mark generally caused by coins hitting other coins (as in pockets) or from coin hitting a foreign substance (dropped on cement for example). Bag marks are anything from minting marks, bag friction, or marks from same demonination in distribution bag. (Even though, I think technically a bag mark is a contact mark, but I didn't know what to call those marks occuring during circulation). If I had to guess, there is no way to tell, even in circulated coins, what marks were a result of initial contact vs circulation, yes?

 

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Handling marks, bag marks are bundled into one group and there is no definite way to tell exactly when they happened to the surface of the coin.

As coins are minted, the are dropped into bins, reedless edges on the cent and nickel make smooth divots into the surface while reeded edges make a squiggly line. Bags of coins are tossed about and even though they are uncirculated, they will still have handling marks.

Once a coin enters circulation, getting it as change, from the bank teller to you, it is technically considered circulated. If there is no evidence of wear or has not been mishandled and is in pristine condition (very few handling marks) who is the wiser to say it is UN-circulated?

If there is a way to tell two like coins, one from a mint bag and one gotten in change at Wal-Mart, I'd like to know.

 

I thought so. The main reason for this topic is exactly what you said, probably more elequent than myself. If a coin has multiple bag/handling marks, who is say it's graded uncirculated even though it's technically a circulated coin? But since I'm assuming no one can tell the difference between the marks, I'll just have to live with oddness of the terms.

 

I think the term "bag-marks" was coined because older coins like Morgan Dollars were shipped to banks in bags of $1000. Bag marks are due to the coins clashing together or rubbing against the bag (I think)

 

coin grading is basically a measure of wear. Uncirculated/circulated are the condition of the coin not statements of fact. People pull coins in "uncirculated condition" out of circulation all the time.

 

thank god for that can you imagine if marks were the determining factor you wouldnt have many unc coins

 

What about 2 black dots close together? On multiple coins o have even uncirculated 2020 from mint? Look same as a lot I have

 

First, welcome to the neighborhood, Jeremy!

Second, did you notice that this thread was ten years old?

Third, it would be best if you started a new thread of your own.

Fourth, photos would help.

 

YUP (oops, I didn't notice it was 10 years old)

 

True, and maybe this resurrection will lure back the two members who haven't been heard from for 5 and 9 years, respectively.

 

FWIW, I found Jeremy Tipton's post when I made my regular "trek" through the "Birthdays" and "New Members" lists on the "Members" page. How many of our 61,000+ members do this?

 

Only you

 

Yes your unique

 

Deleted

 

Since you mentioned (10 years ago) about coins being delivered in huge bags that require forklifts, May I ask a related question?

This U.S. Mint link below explains how coins are distributed for circulation.
https://www.usmint.gov/news/inside-...=Marketing&cm_mmca2=CoinsOnline&cm_mmca3=&cc=

So... after the Mint delivers these super duper huge bags to the Federal Reserve, what does the Federal Reserve use to transfer the coins to individual banks? The U.S. Mint article doesn't cover that part in Step 5. Thank you.

 

I believe that rolling the coins is left to subcontractors hired by the FRB's.