What's going on with this Peace dollar?

I bought this awhile back for close to melt, and I have always wondered why it looked the way it does? A little background on this coin, it is slabbed and graded by PCGS. Can anyone tell me why it looks like it does, and I'd be interested to hear your opinion on a grade.

If you click on the pic it should grow to gigantic proportions, I bought a new lens for the camera

 

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Looks like fingerprint toning patterns to me.
Guy~

 

My thoughts too. Somebody hack into AFIS.....this guy's got to be stopped.

 

LOL If so, it seems they have put there grubby fingers on it from all sorts of angles.

 

looks like fnger prints, thought for a minute it might be thread patterns from a clothe or bag, but the more I look at it I think its finger prints.

 

I'd recognize that left-hand whorl and ridge pattern anywhere: Pretty Boy Floyd!!

Somebody call Purvis, tell him to bring his gat.

 

Thumb print left when someone coated Peacey with liquid fiberglass hardner?

 

That was actually my first thought, that it looked like fiberglass cloth, then a burlap bag. But the curvature now makes me think it's a finger print like the others have said. I just have never seen such a thing tho, especially from an MS graded coin.

Wouldn't the fingerprint automatically indicate wear, and thus, knock it down to an AU grade?

 

I would say it's finger prints look at the reverse , you see some finging licking good prints there to, a dead give away of a hamburger eater

jc

 

If you will look closer, I believe you will notice they belong to Jimmy Hoffa!

Ribbit :whistle:

 

Come to think of it, you may be right! I think Pretty Boy had his fingerprints removed-- or was that Dillinger?

 

I think your right!!! Take a gander at this print taken from.... well lets not get into that part... But its an exact match!

 

It looks to me like a long time ago this coin was "thumbed", a technique used on older silver coins to help hide incomplete strike or slight wear on the high-points. It appears to me that this coin may have been thumbed many many years ago and has finally toned where the fingerprints rubbed the coin.

 

I don't think fingerprint. How would the pattern get down in the recessed areas?

 

what recessed areas? the relief is quite flat. IMHO those are definitely fingerprints. I say thumbed.

 

Red circled areas

 

In addition look at the eye area, the marks are strongest in the recess of the eye and weakest around the high areas outside the eye.

 

The coin is evident of that , they are finger prints, because it's also on the reverse

JC

 

Since nobody has guessed the grade yet, I'll go 63.

P.S. If you don't like it I'll gladly accept it as a gift!

 

I actually bought it for what I'll call it's interesting look. I was not aware a coin could tone around finger prints like this.