Lincoln Cent Grading Question W/Photo
Murphy
Posts: 903 ✭
How much of a deduction in grade would PCGS take off for "water-spots", "rays" and "invisible scratches"?
---The water spots look just like that - water spots, but for all I know may have nothing to do with water at all, but may be the very beginnings of corrosion. After trying to clean a few with alcohol, I notice they don't come off! I see so many cents with many corrosion spots after they've been in circulation for a few years and I suspect might have started out as "water-spots" and it just took a few years for the "spots" to turn into corrosion.
---Rays are the marks close to the edge that run completely around the cent and resemble the sun's rays. I don't know what cause them, but suspect it has to do with improper settings on the minting machines.
---Invisible scratches - my cent was photographed by light from an evening sun just before sunset (and under a microscope.) In other words, it was low in the sky and came in at such an angle that it would light up the finest scratches and expose the ones that you would normally not be able to see with the naked eye or even at a 5x magnification. There is one such invisible scratch over Lincoln's shoulder. My question concerning this type of imperfection is, at what extent do they go to expose fine scratches like this when grading coins? In the photo you can see what I'm talking about. With just one invisible scratch and the rays and water spots on this coin, I wonder what it would grade through PCGS...or would it be trash canned?
Thank you.
---The water spots look just like that - water spots, but for all I know may have nothing to do with water at all, but may be the very beginnings of corrosion. After trying to clean a few with alcohol, I notice they don't come off! I see so many cents with many corrosion spots after they've been in circulation for a few years and I suspect might have started out as "water-spots" and it just took a few years for the "spots" to turn into corrosion.
---Rays are the marks close to the edge that run completely around the cent and resemble the sun's rays. I don't know what cause them, but suspect it has to do with improper settings on the minting machines.
---Invisible scratches - my cent was photographed by light from an evening sun just before sunset (and under a microscope.) In other words, it was low in the sky and came in at such an angle that it would light up the finest scratches and expose the ones that you would normally not be able to see with the naked eye or even at a 5x magnification. There is one such invisible scratch over Lincoln's shoulder. My question concerning this type of imperfection is, at what extent do they go to expose fine scratches like this when grading coins? In the photo you can see what I'm talking about. With just one invisible scratch and the rays and water spots on this coin, I wonder what it would grade through PCGS...or would it be trash canned?
Thank you.
Monster Wavy Steps Rule! - 1999, WSDDR-015, 1999P-1DR-003 - 2 known0
Comments
The rays might be stress lines in the surface caused by the pressure of the die during striking?
Those scratches might not be invisible to the graders, any blemish will detract from the grade, but I have seen PCGS 67 1c with very minor scratches or even a tic or two, as long as the luster and strike are good. There was a good thread yesterday on values of 67 lincolns, one post described the three major factors considered by the graders. I learned a lot.
Have a good one.
Bill
Apropos of the coin posse/aka caca: "The longer he spoke of his honor, the tighter I held to my purse."
<< <i>How much of a deduction in grade would PCGS take off for "water-spots", "rays" and "invisible scratches"?[/IMG] >>
Too much to make it worth sending in. I would say you could get an MS66/67 for that coin. Not worth the grading fees IMO.
The rays at the edge are just metal flow from how the coin is struck--they're normal and won't hurt the grade (the metal is just pushed outward when the coin is minted).
Jeremy