Home› Q & A Forum

CAC sent this back in a body bag as "Mutilated". What am I missing?

ArmantheDobeArmantheDobe Posts: 15 ✭
in Q & A Forum

I send raw coins to CAC/PCGS/NGC equally, distributing the grading and seeing if I can notice any consistent grading differences, but also to see which takes the longest to process the coins and which ends up costing me the greatest amount. This 1858-O Seated Liberty Half-Dollar was just returned from CAC in a Body Bag, labeled in the document as "Mutilated".
Other than a couple of rim dings at 11 o'clock and a scar running almost parallel to Liberty's staff, I don't see their issue. Except...
Under 10x magnification, the Obverse is flooded with Hairlines. The Reverse has a nice ration of Hairlines also.
Even so, I suspected it would return as a Details/Cleaned grade. Nope, she gets the Body Bag. "Mutilated, it is called"
Oops.
Is this an example of a coin which has been Whizzed, or just scrubbed bright and shiny and has so many Hairlines that they won't even give it the Details/Cleaned grade?
I inspect each raw coin I send in to get graded, and mark my expected grade on the inventory Excel sheet for each. My Details/Cleaned grade expectation didn't even come close for this one. A shame, since the naked eye doesn't see the Hairlines, and eye appeal is quite good.
A penny for your thoughts!
Thanks.
Kerry



Comments

  • humanssuckhumanssuck Posts: 574 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It looks like its been severely whizzed to attempt to cover a huge scratch in the right obverse field as well as other defects on the obverse and reverse.

    Cleaned + whizzed + rim dings + scratches = mutilated. Id say they got it right.

  • winestevenwinesteven Posts: 5,123 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 1, 2025 10:32PM

    “Other than the rim dings and a scar…. the Obverse is flooded with Hairlines. The Reverse has a nice ration of Hairlines also.”

    That’s like the reporter at Ford’s Theater asking Mrs. Lincoln, “So, other than the assassination, how was the play?”

    Steve

    A day without fine wine and working on your coin collection is like a day without sunshine!!!

    My collecting “Pride & Joy” is my PCGS Registry Dansco 7070 Set:
    https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/type-sets/design-type-sets/complete-dansco-7070-modified-type-set-1796-date/publishedset/213996
  • lermishlermish Posts: 4,064 ✭✭✭✭✭

    CACG can be a little prickly about what coins go in their holders, even details coins.

    I spoke with them and the strong implication was that they view overly damaged/problematic coins as bad for their brand at this point and prefer to not holder them at all.

    The coins below are moderately heavily chopmarked but not obliterated or anything and they are real coins. I suspect that CACG would rather not holder chopped T$ at all but are kind of forced to by the stickering program.

    chopmarkedtradedollars.com

  • Morgan WhiteMorgan White Posts: 11,959 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Scratched, whizzed etc. As @lermish said, they avoid slabbing problem coins. Don't get hung up on the "mutilated" category, it just means worse than "cleaned".

  • Coins3675Coins3675 Posts: 976 ✭✭✭✭

    It just has too many problems to list and one word is easier.

  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 9,321 ✭✭✭✭✭

    You know what a two bagger is...right?

    BST: endeavor1967, synchr, kliao, Outhaul, Donttellthewife, U1Chicago, ajaan, mCarney1173, SurfinHi, MWallace, Sandman70gt, mustanggt, Pittstate03, Lazybones, Walkerguy21D, coinandcurrency242 , thebigeng, Collectorcoins, JimTyler, USMarine6, Elkevvo, Coll3ctor, Yorkshireman, CUKevin, ranshdow, CoinHunter4, bennybravo, Centsearcher, braddick, Windycity, ZoidMeister, mirabela, JJM, RichURich, Bullsitter, jmski52, LukeMarshall, coinsarefun, MichaelDixon, NickPatton, ProfLiz, Twobitcollector,Jesbroken oih82w8, DCW

Sign In or Register to comment.