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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;cpm9ball, post: 1271876, member: 24633&quot;]When a coin is struck, the metal flows outward toward the retaining collar at the rim. It is the metal flow along the surface which creates the luster. If you tilt a coin up and down and back and forth under the light, you can see the cartwheel effect of the luster radiating in a circular pattern around the coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>When a coin has been dipped one too many times, the surface of the metal flow is disturbed and the luster disappears. All you have is a shiny coin that has been improperly cleaned.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are other ways that a coin can be improperly cleaned. A coin that has been polished will show evidence of fine hairlines. Sometimes they can be seen by the naked eye, and sometimes you need magnification to see them. Sellers on eBay will sometimes take poor photos, angle the coin in the light a certain way or simply photoshop the pics to hide these hairlines. That&#039;s why it is not usually recommended to buy raw (uncertified) coins from sellers whom you don&#039;t know. </p><p><br /></p><p>Another method of improper cleaning is called &quot;whizzing&quot;. This is accomplished using a high speed polishing wheel and most of the time you will see many hairlines that are parallel from the rotation of the wheel. This shouldn&#039;t be confused with die polishing at the Mint. Sometimes a die needs to be cleaned up after a clash or minor scratches. In such cases, the lines that will be visible on the surface of the coin will be raised as opposed to recessed on an improperly cleaned coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>All of these methods will affect the luster, some more than others, and it is best to view raw coins in hand to check for improper cleaning.</p><p><br /></p><p>Chris[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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