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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GDJMSP, post: 2845909, member: 112&quot;]Each of the three things that you say make sense to you are just as subjective as hairlines. </p><p><br /></p><p>Harsh cleaning for example. There was a time when a coin with even a single wipe mark would be body-bagged, deemed ungradeable. Of course that was before they ever started slabbing problem coins. But today they not only slab them, they are cleanly graded on a routine basis. However, even beyond that, in today&#039;s world traces of harsh cleaning are judged on a subjective basis - this much is OK, that much is not OK. And to make it even worse that subjectivity also varies depending upon type. Meaning this much is OK on this type of coin but the same amount is not OK on that type of coin. Then you also have to throw in the location factor - this location matters more than that location.</p><p><br /></p><p>The very same thing is true of scratches and environmental damage. Determining what is OK and what is not OK is based on the same variables and factors as it is with harsh cleaning. And, it is also true about hairlines. </p><p><br /></p><p>And what you mentioned about only being able to see the hairlines from a certain angle or in a certain light, that also applies the harsh cleaning, scratches, and environmental damage. All of these things are what makes it so difficult for some folks to understand, and why they become confused when they look at a coin - because they just don&#039;t see what the TPG is apparently seeing. Well, that makes perfect sense, because you cannot see them unless you view them from a certain angle and in a certain light.</p><p><br /></p><p>The point I am trying to get across is that the subjectivity is present in pretty much all aspects of grading, involving all the various factors and criteria that determine a coin&#039;s grade, or lack of grade. It&#039;s always a matter of degree, and not just with problem coins, but with cleanly graded coins too. And as I mentioned above the subjectivity is also compounded by the type of coin being considered as well as location. And that applies to both good and bad aspects in all cases.</p><p><br /></p><p>I would add one more thing in particular about hairlines. They are not always caused by harsh cleaning, though they certainly can be. Another common cause of hairlines is rough handling. And rough handling covers a lot of territory. For example, blotting a coin dry after proper cleaning - on some coins that will cause hairlines. Another would be laying a coin down on a soft pad or towel while you&#039;re working with it or looking at it. What might seem to be perfectly harmless, well, it isn&#039;t.</p><p><br /></p><p>And one also needs to understand that certain coins are much more susceptible to hairlines being created on the coin from rough handling than other coins are. As a general rule, the nicer the coin, the better the surfaces are, the more prone to hairlines it will be. This is particularly true with Proof coins of course, but it is also particularly true with proof like coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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