Shimmy the coin back and forth like you're looking for a cartwheel. You should notice a patch that looks polished. That's the counting wheel abrasion which gave it a details grade
Yes. The appearance falls into two types, based on which type of machine we are talking about. Read the following links for more information, and then feel free to ask any questions you have: http://www.numismaster.com/ta/numis/Article.jsp?ArticleId=8260 (good overview of counting wheel damage) http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1936302 (unfortunately, the pics are missing - but the discussion is good) http://www.ngccoin.com/coin-grading/coin-details/mechanical-damage.aspx (describes the different terms that NGC will use on coins) This is a very difficult type of damage to detect, and its even harder to see in photographs. Early in my numismatic adventures, I had a 1956 Franklin that I was convinced was 66FBL. I looked at it for years, and it was beautiful. But after reading the NGC thread about counting wheel damage, I suddenly realized that there was a very fine patch of hairlines on Ben's bust, due to counting wheel damage. It's really hard to see, unless you know just what you are looking for.
