Will These Scratches Cause a DETAILS Grade?

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by iPen, May 8, 2017.

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Will these scratches lead to a Details grade if sent to PCGS?

  1. Yes

  2. No

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  1. iPen

    iPen Well-Known Member

    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!

    upload_2017-5-8_12-9-11.png
     
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  3. longshot

    longshot Enthusiast Supporter

    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.
     
    Last edited: May 8, 2017
  4. Seattlite86

    Seattlite86 Outspoken Member

    It would be helpful to get a full coin shot so we can understand it in perspective to the coin as a whole.
     
    micbraun and baseball21 like this.
  5. baseball21

    baseball21 Well-Known Member

    Impossible to even guess on such a close up.
     
  6. iPen

    iPen Well-Known Member

    The whole obverse this time.

    upload_2017-5-8_14-31-42.png
     
  7. Dougmeister

    Dougmeister Well-Known Member

    Nice coin, but I still vote "cleaned/details".
     
    Ericred likes this.
  8. iPen

    iPen Well-Known Member

    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.
     
  9. Santinidollar

    Santinidollar Supporter! Supporter

    Scratched due to bad cleaning attempt.
     
  10. Dougmeister

    Dougmeister Well-Known Member

    In my novice opinion, yes.
     
  11. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    To be honest with you, not even I would consider that coin ungradeable because of those scratches.
     
  12. iPen

    iPen Well-Known Member

    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.
     
    coinsareus10 likes this.
  13. messydesk

    messydesk Well-Known Member

    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.
     
  14. baseball21

    baseball21 Well-Known Member

    After seeing the whole obverse I think you'll just lose a grade or two if its just a scuff or hits.
     
  15. longshot

    longshot Enthusiast Supporter

    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.
     
  16. jester3681

    jester3681 Exonumia Enthusiast

    Those are very noticeable. Definitely abnormal damage, and I'd be shocked if you got a straight grade from any TPG.
     
    coinsareus10 likes this.
  17. Seattlite86

    Seattlite86 Outspoken Member

    Seems like we are (mostly) all at 50/50. Perhaps not helpful, but still an answer.
     
  18. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    John said it better than I did. I should have worded my post differently.
     
  19. iPen

    iPen Well-Known Member

    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!

    upload_2017-5-18_13-31-40.png
     
  20. Johndoe2000$

    Johndoe2000$ Well-Known Member

    This pic really looks like a cleaned/details coin.
     
  21. GDJMSP

    GDJMSP Numismatist Moderator

    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.
     
    sambyrd44 likes this.
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