I am not real familiar with these three cent Nickels. I had a 5x magnification loop and coin looked nice with good toning at the coin shop. When I got home I looked at it under better light with a 10x loop and it has a few scratches. One is really old and toned over across her face. The other is small but looks newer . Its a super small coin so I am not sure how graders see these. Coin has really nice toning and alot of clashing which is why I grabbed it. My old I phone was having a tough time getting good pics but you can see the scratches magnified.
I will just say I am looking at coins on Ebay and there is a MS-61 that has a very large scratch as well. Ebay coin below
I've seen it go both ways. I've also seen explanations on why some get a pass and some do not, but I forget who wrote it, and what they said. Even so, I've done the same, where I purchased something and later realized it was scratched. I hope you're not too disappointed.
Nice high grade coin with luster and clash marks both sides. Next time you examine a coin (5X is plenty to see that scratch) put it under a bright light at the coin shop and look at it under magnification while you tip it back and forth AND ROTATE IT AT LEAST 180 DEGREES AT THE SAME TIME you are tipping it. IMO, you learned a cheap lesson and the dealer does not need to refund your money UNLESS he is one of the better dealers who like to educate their customers. Best customer would "eat" the coin, sell/trade out of it to someone else and not say anymore about it to the dealer. If you deal with a dealer, you don't need to mention the scratch but you should inform the next collector about it.
What I am about to ask will be unpopular at best. I am fully aware of the parameters we place on the quality of our coins…… But if we have to use 10X magnification to reveal an imperfection on a coin that we otherwise found appealing, should that really take away from our ability to enjoy the piece?…… Now this is just the practical side of me speaking so don’t blast me too hard please.
The 10X glass is used to detect counterfeits and cleaning hairlines. It is also useful when you are looking at a very high grade coin. When you get below MS-63, you are going to find stuff with a 10X that might not please you, but you need to take it into perspective You are going to find things on those coins. The question you should ask is, does this coin please me without extreme magnification? If it does, then the issues you see are not really important.
I agree. As a collector that used one parameter (eye appeal) as a grade I think a 5X magnifier is more than adequate.
honestly the old scratch is so toned over I did not see it under 5X I did rotate the coin though the lighting was not the best. The newer scratch is very small but its on a very small coin. Coin is very pretty otherwise.
Randy Abercrombie, posted: "What I am about to ask will be unpopular at best. I am fully aware of the parameters we place on the quality of our coins…… But if we have to use 10X magnification to reveal an imperfection on a coin that we otherwise found appealing, should that really take away from our ability to enjoy the piece?…… Now this is just the practical side of me speaking so don’t blast me too hard please." There is absolutely nothing to be blasted about. A collector can enjoy a coin in any condition they wish; road rash, repairs, and holes included! News flash, there is a reason we are told to grade coins with our naked eye or 5X magnification. I personally like to see everything there is to see on a coin I collect so 10X plus magnification let's me enjoy it with no surprises later. Let me tell you a story I use in my grading classes and see if it makes sense. I go to buy a diamond. The dealer puts five beautiful stones on a pad for both of us to "enjoy." He tells me each is certified to be flawless at the industry standard of 10X and offers to let me see them under his scope. Thanks! The fist thing I do is crank the power of the scope up to as high over 10X as it will go. Then I pick the most "flawless" diamond even though I would enjoy all of them, johnmilton, posted: "The 10X glass is used to detect counterfeits and cleaning hairlines. It is also useful when you are looking at a very high grade coin. When you get below MS-63, you are going to find stuff with a 10X that might not please you, but you need to take it into perspective You are going to find things on those coins. The question you should ask is, does this coin please me without extreme magnification? If it does, then the issues you see are not really important." John, I can count on ONE HAND the famous people we all know who I would trust to authenticate a coin with a 10X hand lens. How do you think all the fakes are getting into every TPGS slab!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@COOPER12 - that’s a great looking coin I’d be happy to have in my collection. of course price matters, but I’d say it’s a nice buy.
