Hey Guys, quick question How can you tell if you are seeing die polishing or coin cleaning? Or better yet, a more precise question. If you are looking at the 'hairlines' from a cleaning, it would likely cross over the devices as well, correct? Where as die polishing wouldnt cross the devices as they would be recessed into the die, right? So if a coin had just an ungodly amount of die polish, it would seem to abruptly stop before a device on the coin, and even possibly pick back up directly on the other side of whatever caused the disruption (like a letter, or star, etc). Do i have the gist of the situation and how to tell the difference? Also, pardon me if i didnt use all of the correct terminology, still learning.
Yes and die polish lines are part of the coin's "fabric" so they should resemble the coin's color. Hairlines will look more flashy like the freshly cut metal that they are.
You got it Trey. Die polish lines will not cross the devices 99.99% of the time. They will be raised as well. Although it is very difficult to tell if the lines are raised. Here is a thread I started that has some great information about die polish lines vs cleaning. http://www.cointalk.com/t223567/
Hairlines will be incuse polish lines will be raised. Hairlines running across the fields will normally end shortly before they reach the devices then will continue across the device and then resume in the field again starting a short distance away from the devices. Die polish lines on the other hand will continue right up to the edge of the devices where they meet the field, and will rarely be seen actually on the devices. Then when they continue on the other side they will start right at the the point where the device meets the field.
Yeah, sometimes that true. But it is also true that a coin could have acquired the hairlines shortly after it was minted, so both die polish lines and hairlines would be the same basic color as the rest of the coin. For that matter, if the coin is old enough, it can be hairlined 50 years, or more, after it was minted, and the hairlines can still be the same basic color as the rest of the coin. Shiny or bright hairlines are only shiny or bright when they are fairly new. That's what you need to remember.
GDJMSP #5 The color difference in scratches may not he too obvious on newly minted coins but there is still a difference that will stand out more if you rock and rotate the coin the way it was done before scratched up slabs came along. If the coin is 50 years old there will probably be dirt in the scratches.
Maybe, maybe not. It depends on if you are talking about a circulated coin or an unc coin, how the coin was stored for all those years, if the coin has ever been dipped or not - there are a great many variables that would affect the appearance of hairlines as compared to die polish lines in regard to color. What you are saying can be true Bill, under certain circumstances. But it is a long way from being a rule of thumb. It's more than a little bit hard for the average collector to distinguish hairlines from die polish lines as it is, under any circumstances. Especially since they are both found on the same coin so often and are so similar to each other as it is. Even noted numismatists will often call hairlines die polish lines, when they are not die polish lines at all. Die polish lines always have certain characteristics, and it is only by knowing all of these characteristics, not just some of them, that die polish lines can be distinguished from hairlines, tool marks, and light scratches.
