i have a couple of steels with die cracks is there any premium on these both on reverse best pic i can get the other one has it in a different area
jon: Good news, bad news: Bad news first: unless you can get better pictures, that looks like a hit. Far too wide for a die crack. Good news: Still a steelie.
From the rim to the wheat stalk, that is a nice die crack. Might be worth a few bucks to the right person, by the C in Cent, looks like a hit to me. AMO. Nice cent, is it BU? Phoenix
yes it is bu and those hits are just the holder it is so clean i wonder if it is reprocessed but it still has flow marks and stuff so i think its just a really nice coin it also has some scratches that go across the intire back however they dont go across the letters and stuff like the planchet was scratched prior to minting
It looks like a die crack from the rim at 8:30 to the wheat stalk, up through the wheat stalk and possibly back to the rim at 10:00. Then the edges of the die along the crack have been chipping and crumbling to form that long wide lump in the lines of the wheat stalk.
I tend to agree it's a die crack. THe lines are jagged that coresponds with a crack. Better picture's would definately answer your question. Rhubarb
It's really hard to say what they are. The pics are blurred. Have you thought about buying a cheap tripod? This may be obvious but . . . a die crack will be raised and a scratch will be into the coin's surface (with perhaps a bit of metal flowing above the surface). The best way to distinguish between a die crack (or die polish) and a scratch is to look at the coin with a loupe (around 6X should do nicely) under a good light (incandescent, not fluorescent - 60w to 100w). Tip and turn the coin so you can see it from every angle. When the light is perpendicular to the die crack / scratch you should be able to distinguish what it is. A raised die crack will cast a shadow while a scratch will have a shadow cast down into it. With a little practice this will become second nature.
