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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;physics-fan3.14, post: 3190895, member: 19165&quot;]Well everyone loves a surprise twist ending! Didn&#039;t see that one coming <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie2" alt=";)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>To be fair, the coin was probably also white when it went into the holder. Those holders are known for producing the rim toning such as seen here.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Weeeeee! Let&#039;s zoom in all the way!</p><p><br /></p><p>(Sorry Cheech, I wasn&#039;t trying to be mean, I was just trying to understand what you were seeing)</p><p><br /></p><p>So, for people who don&#039;t understand what we&#039;re talking about with the flow lines:</p><p><br /></p><p>When a coin is struck, the metal actual &quot;flows&quot; up into the crevices of the die. The pressure of the strike makes the metal move to create the design. The die is made of very hard steel, but over time that moving metal begins to wear on the die. It moves the exact same way each and every time. This moving metal creates flowlines, which are in turn what reflect the light as luster. However, on a very old die, such as the ones used to strike these 2 coins, that moving metal has started to etch into the die.</p><p><br /></p><p>The obverse of the second coin, the 1943, is actually perfect for seeing the difference between die polish and flow lines. Look in the field in front of George&#039;s face. You should see lines in two different directions - one set of lines that goes radially out from the center to the rim. These are the flowlines (normally, the flow moves outward unless it is redirected by the devices. You can see that around his neck, and around the eagle&#039;s head.) The second set of lines you can see in the left obverse field are almost perpendicular to the flowlines, and reach diagonally upward across the field. These are die polish lines (and, oh my gosh, they are curved!). You can see some more short die polish lines on the bridge of his nose, and some long, curved lines on his cheek. These are all die polish lines.</p><p><br /></p><p>If we look at the reverse now, we can see a third type of line which is useful to point out. Take a look at the eagle&#039;s left wing. See that long, meandering, jaggedy line that travels up the entire side of the wing? And above the eagle&#039;s head, see that line that goes from his head, through M, under S, and connects to the wing? Those are both die cracks. When the die gets old, or has undergone the stress of striking many, many coins, the die tends to crack. These are not scratches - these are actually the die starting to fall apart. Usually, these are more common on later die state coins, such as this one.</p><p><br /></p><p>All of these three types of lines are mint made. They will not affect the grade directly. Based on the characteristics of these lines, they may change the luster (more flowlines such as these will produce a coarser type of luster, which some may or may not appreciate). So, as much as the luster affects the grade, these flow lines or die polish may affect the grade. But, they are mint-made and considered to be a perfectly natural part of the coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>Well, my cup of tea is gone. I hope that helped someone understand the various lines and squiggles that we&#039;re seeing on these coins, and understand their significance (or at least, where they come from.) Until next time![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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