1946 Canadian 50 cent coin variety

 Posted 06/20/2006  12:19 am

I just received this coin in the mail.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...m=8427409631

The coin is overgraded but that is not my issue. I figured it for a base level Fine. The marks on the obverse are toning streaks not scratches. For my problem - look at the 6 in the date, the enlargement and in particular the Description. What would you think you had here?

I own very few Canadian coins but thought this might be the hoof in 6 variety. I violated one of my own cardinal rules by not knowing what that variety actually looked like. But the bid was an essentially throw away "bottom fishing" situation.

The spot inside the loop of the 6 is a scratch. A very bright scratch when viewed at a slight angle but a scratch that is not visible when the coin is rotated. Actually it is a very recently made series of scratches that pick up some light when held just right. There is no oxidation of the silver at all on these scratches but EVERY OTHER surface blemish on the coin has had time to ozidized. None of the small scratches inside the 6 - on the base of the numeral - NONE of them touch the edges of the numeral. So care was taken by a coin Doctor to scratch ONLY the bottom. Whatever made the scratches did so without contacting the sides of the 6.

The seller thinks his description is fair. He says he got it that way and provided an enlargement so I could judge for myself. He also seems to plead innocent about knowing he was describing a scarce die variety. So to believe him I need to accept that he didn't know there was a scarce variety, that he checked the coin with a magnifying glass but didn't notice it was a scratch and that he accidentally photographed the coin from the one precise angle that makes it look like a die feature.

What do the members here think? It this seller a total fraud? Or am I being too hard on an honest guy?