So I bought this coin a few days ago, and it turns out to be a proof. My pictures don't show them, but I am seeing a lot of very fine hair lines in the fields of this coin, but not on the devices. I am pretty sure these are die polish lines Does anyone know if die polish lines are common on these German proofs? I will try to get pics of these lines when I get home this evening.
Die polish lines should be straight and parallel, as well as in slight relief above the surface. If you are confident that the coin is proof you should submit it to the TPG. However, it doesn't look like one to me from the photos. Especially with the low mintage, 1-year type commemorative pieces such as this... you often see normal examples that have proof-like appearance on one or both sides.
Are you referring to this series or die polish lines in general? I have seen a lot of die polish lines that are anything but straight and parallel. I'm not 100% sure this is a proof (99%) but even if its not, I think its worthy of submission. Don't you?
This link shows a good example of what I'm seeing https://www.ebay.com/itm/1911-D-GER...655687?hash=item2cd0fac247:g:4jsAAOSwAPVZNCGi
In general. They don't ALL have to be perfectly parallel, but you will see sets of parallel lines even if not all sets are parallel with each other like on the ebay coin you linked. They shouldn't be curved unless it was polished in a circular fashion, but then all the lines would still be consistent rather than varying in shape.
