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Question about luster breaks
Wooly
Posts: 46
I have herd this term a few times before. I've ask a few people and sort of get a half answer. ( not sure they really knew) I was hoping someone could explain, and maybe post a picture pointing it out.
Home of the ehew ehew bird!
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In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
Now, many years later, I have a much better understanding of the things I am missing in my understanding of coins!
Tom
you have to know what high grade luster looks like
<< <i>to know luster breaks
you have to know what high grade luster looks like >>
Then again if you don't, you are probably looking at one (luster broke, that is )
<< <i>I see high grade dimes and half dimes where their reverse Liberty's features don't roll like their surrounding areas. And I see it all the time on very high grade pieces. I believe it has something to do with the design and the manyufacture. >>
I think that is true of barber halves as well, and likely other coins. With barber halves, it is due, I believe, to the reverse design of the eagle's wings impacting the luster of the coin's obverse at around 4:00 o'clock and 8:00 o'clock.
Tom
parts of the design always shows the wear first. To determine the highest point is quite easy. Simply
tip the coin back and forth between from horizonmtal to vertical between your eye and a light source.
As the coin becomes nearly horizontal the high points will seem to almost jump off the coin. Continue
this until you've identified each of the highest points and this will be very much like every other coin of
the same design. Look at the highest point first as you tip it back and forth. It should be the same col-
or and texture of the area around it. A luster break will normally appear somewhat grey in color and
indicates friction or wear. This can be confirmed by looking at other high points usually though not
always.
It's not quite this simple because incomplete die fill can cause "greyness" on the highest point as well.
Also coins can be doctored or polished to hide wear. But with experience this will tell you in most cases
whether or not the coin is Unc.
<< <i>Does this apply to coins from the early 1800's too, if so I believe the TPG's are allowing some slippage. >>
Yes. They have been for years. They refer to it as friction. Cabinet friction, drawer friction, slide friction etc.
Some purists say wear is wear regardless the source, others allow certain types of friction that lead to luster breaks as acceptable and still call such a coin MS.
You will see many coins showing friction in MS TPG holders.
effect seen on most MS coins. Seated halves rarely do that. But I saw one pristine MS67 NM example that had the same type of swirling obverse pools seen on the Barber halves.
I felt that was a sign that the skin and luster on that seated half was intensely pure and unaltered. It may have also been partly due to the coin having a deep 3D "halo" striking effect
on the reverse.
Luster breaks are most easily seen in the large obverse fields of Silver dollars of all types, liberty seated coins, liberty gold coins, bust coinage, etc. A portion of the right, left, or
usually both obv fields will have a dead/scuffed out area with no luster showing through. Technically, those coins are AU. But the further you go back into the 19th century the more
leniency is granted these coins to net grade them to mint state, especially if there is no real obvious high point design rubbing. The overall topic can be quite confusing since with TPG
grading, wear or missing luster is not an automatic disqualification from an assigned mint state grade in 19th and 18th century coinage. For the most part, those exceptions tend not to
be granted for late 19th and most 20th century coinage. The luster on the flat part of the rim usually goes away before the field luster. So that's another area to inspect if you have
doubts about the field/figure luster due to flatly struck areas or unusual toning that "fools" the eye. I've almost never seen 19th century coinage with full luster on the rims that didn't
have it in the fields and on the design high points. The flat rims are often the highest point of the coin and will show wear and abuse first. In fact a large % of MS61-65 19th century
silver coins will have missing rim luster and signs of handling and wear there. A truly superb and pristine gem coin will have a rough and pristine rim area as well.