I am enclosing a picture of what I call radial scratching for lack of a better term. I have seen this to some degree on every statehood silver proof I have examined in dozens of sets, and also on most PR-70 examples I have seen. You can see it easily with a loupe. QUESTION: What is this officially called? And in my view it is a defect that would preclude a 70 rating....if you can see it with the naked eye then how can it rate a perfect?? BTW these are NGC 70's, I have never viewed a PCGS 70. These marks always radiate from the center outward, and disappear at certain view angles. Also my honest witness, Mr. Scanner sees them just fine. EXPERIENCED INPUT IS APPRECIATED, AS USUAL.
What you see are flow lines in the metal. They are completely normal and found on every uncirculated coin - Proof or business strike. These lines are what creates a coin's luster. So no - they do not affect the grade. But the lack of them would.
Here's an interesting blurb on the NGC site in an article about the 2003 Statehood Quarters: "the 70 grade comes down to any hairlines or spots being detected under 5X magnification. Should a hairline or spot be identified, this will cause the coin to grade no higher than 69. Mint caused defects, however, can be found on these proofs and still garner the grade of 70. As long as they are minor in nature, few in numbers, and easily determined to be mint caused, the grade of 70 can still apply. There are circumstances where a proof coin cannot grade 70 due to there being too many mint caused defects or mint defects that are too large in size. In these cases, the highest attainable grade will be 69. " So it sounds to me like perfection is more like a PR-71. Ha ha.
Thanks once again for the education. That's why I ask. I'll have to scrutinize my Lincolns for this - I assume that would be a good way to make sure a coin hasn't been toyed with?
Well yes - but understand, there is a huge difference between flow lines and what are called hair lines. Hair lines are are just very fine scratches. With high grade Proofs, they can occur simply by sitting a coin down on a piece of cloth. Luster on a Proof coin is different than on a business strike because the dies and the planchets for Proofs are highly polished to begin with. But the metal still flows when the coin is struck - and sometimes the lines show more readily on one coin than they do on others. But dip a Proof coin - and Poof - the flow lines can disappear because they are so faint to begin with. With business strike coins - the luster is more obvious because the flow lines are heavier, deeper if you will. But dipping can still wipe them out and leave the coin dull and lifeless - flat. So if a coin appears dull or flat - then as you say - it has been messed with.
That is one reason I don't collect PF/MS70 coins...its hard to tell what is the ture grade...I saw a PCGS PF70 coin once... Speedy
The flow lines are caused by little spots of impurities in the metal on the surface of the blank. Proof coins with no flow marks under 5x magnification can be really dazzling! Gold coins tend to have fewer flow lines while the nickel alloy pieces have more. It is tougher to purify nickel than it is silver, copper, or gold. Just a note, when a proof coin is dipped in a detergent or acid solution for cleaning, any flow lines will really sparkle as the metal in these tiny grooves is rough, almost faceted, not smooth like the struck surface.
