I went for the first time to an HA auction preview, at Central States going on now. I was anxious to compare a varied list of coins I have been following on their website to those in hand to see what insights I might gain about the accuracy of their photography in general. HA takes great photos and my experience at the preview bore this out. I think they make a concerted effort to portray each coin to its best advantage while exposing any potentially problematic flaws. As I think any photographer would agree, it's often a tricky balancing act. (The coins I've won from their auctions have all equaled or, in some cases, even surpassed their photos with the exception of one.) In this auction, I've been following an 1861 IHC MS 65 which looks great in photos but proved problematic in hand. It's not CAC'd, which was a red flag for me because I know Heritage encourages sellers to submit their better coins. (I auctioned coins through HA once; four of the five received the bean and I was very pleased with the auction results because of this). Upon seeing this '61 IHC in hand I knew exactly why it hadn't CAC'd: there are three parallel scratches on Liberty's face that do not show in the photo. I happened to show the coin to a seasoned dealer sitting next to me who, coincidentally, knows John Albanese well and said this coin would never pass. These scratches, while clearly evident under the right angle, took me a while to find; in fairness, it's very possible the HA photographers simply overlooked them. But they definitely compromise the coin's grade and appeal. Someone is going to win this coin and likely be very disappointed when they receive it. (The scratches are parallel with those in front of Liberty's eye. They are not as severe but expose fresh copper and thus are very noticeable at the right angle.) https://coins.ha.com/itm/indian-cen...4-3493.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515
