Featured 1914-D sad staple scratch

One added point:

It's not just when you're opening the holder to remove a coin. You can halfway expect it then, and be on guard. But staple scratches can happen any time, like when a single end of an uncrimped staple gets snagged on some fabric and you tug it free, failing to notice that one staple end is now bent outward like a spear, and then you slide it down in the box right in front of your 1916-D Mercury dime.

But if the staples had been crimped flat in the first place, one of them would never have snagged on the tablecloth or couch upholstery, and the whole tragedy could have been avoided.

Y'know how they say "treat every gun like it's loaded"? I say treat every stapled 2x2 the same way. Especially if the staples haven't been flattened! They're potentially lethal to any coin nearby, and as the OP in this tragic tale demonstrates, the coin that gets scratched could very well be the best one in your box.

And the coin that gets scratched is not necessarily the one that's inside the holder with the deviant staple.