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Message:: [QUOTE="eddiespin, post: 2250422, member: 4920"]I think the important thing to bear in mind here and everywhere in coin collecting really is you don't want to get too hung up on labels. That's an easy habit to fall into and a hard one to quit. I think it's better to just know what you want to see in a good coin. For me, I want to see a decent finish on that coin. If it's hairline-scratched and the lines all go the same way, sure, somebody messed with it a little. Still, is the cleaning very distracting? Is it very apparent? Again, it's there, and the coin is "cleaned," but darn, that's still one good-looking coin. What does the finish look like? How does the light move on it? There's the first thing to really go in a thorough cleaning, and once it's gone, it's gone. Are there spots that are a little flat, dead, but on the whole, this finish still has some bounce to it, some life? Again, a compromised finish is a "cleaned" coin. Think what you want to see in a good coin, and less of determining whether you can hang a label on it. The trouble with that label is it stops your thinking cold in its tracks.[/QUOTE]