Do you think that densely packed scratches in parallel, such as what's seen below, come back from PCGS as Details? The hairline (or somewhat deeper) scratches are consolidated to a very small area and it certainly attracts the eye to it, which is a negative. It's as if someone want to abrasively remove a spot or some detracting mark. I know that it's hard to clearly see it from the pics, but based on the photo, if you had to guess... Thanks in advance!
In my ( admittedly limited ) experience, I would expect it to come back cleaned. I once submitted a Morgan with a small cleaned spot, it was toned over and you practically needed a light to see it, but it didn't pass.
It would be helpful to get a full coin shot so we can understand it in perspective to the coin as a whole.
Just so that I'm not missing anything... due to that scratch area referenced in the first post, right? Esp. since the rest of the coin makes that area stand out even more.
IMHO, part of the strangeness of the "philosophy of grading" is that many MS-63 coins have greater and deeper noise in the fields and bust; yet, the relatively smaller noise in that small area may lead to a Details assignment since it looks like someone cleaned that area (which to me looks worse than "natural" hits of the same magnitude). I think that if those scratches were replaced with "natural" hits, then it would grade MS-64 or 64+ for the obverse.
I can't tell what the nature of the scratchy patch is. If it is a ham-fisted attempt at removing a spot, then no grade. If it appears mostly to be incidental contact, then no foul.
Is it "densely packed scratches in parallel" or is it something that could pass for a scuff? Hard to tell from the picture, but I'm just on my phone.
Those are very noticeable. Definitely abnormal damage, and I'd be shocked if you got a straight grade from any TPG.
I think that the scratches are die polishes (maybe?). Do you think they're scratches or die polish marks? It's hard to tell if those marks are in relief or not. What's seen here is typical of the other area shown in the first post (same coin, different area). I can see signs of die wear, so maybe Mint workers polished the dies during scheduled maintenance. In fact, the die may have been over-polished - this 1922 Peace dollar has both a super brilliant cartwheel luster and a semi-PL / PL surface!
My opinion, in the picture you just posted some of those lines are from die scratches, not die polish. And some of them, the majority I'd say, are not from die scratches or die polish. But from the coin being hairlined by something.