5 Oz 2012 Farewell To The Penny Has File Mark Type Scratches

A few of my coins purchased directly from RCM had slight scratches like this on the rims of coins, so these scratches do sometimes pass inspection at the mint. Again, it was only noticeable after removing the capsule so I haven't inspected many coins, but of the very few I did, I noticed these scratches too. Of course, I cannot tell if yours is a much worse situation based on the picture.

Would it be possible they could be caused by sliding around in the capsule?

I don't believe that sliding in the capsule caused the scratches for the following reasons. They are long strokes and don't have an arc to them. The capsule is much to small in diameter to do that. Also, the worst ones look like a coarse file was run across the coin, so they are much deeper than incidental scratching. Also, plastic would be very unlikely to scratch a metal like silver, and if it did, I can't believe deep scratching would occur.

There was some dirt on the coin when I opened it, and the "dot" of glue had already been broken. I opened it easily with my thumbnail. There was even a hair on the coin. That doesn't mean the seller abused it though.

Thanks for mentioning that some "contact the seller" options open cases and lock his account. I have done that innocently and well-intentioned in the past with a couple of the options, so now I always use the "other" selection. I am a big believer that most sellers are honest and will work to resolve issues honestly. It also really handcuffs everyone in the process as the seller can't conduct business and it can take time to work out a solution. ebay would be well served to note the ramifications of certain selections; one of my pet peeves.

All of your help is appreciated more than I can adequately say. I don't want to make a big deal if it isn't, so I look for others as a sanity check to ensure that I'm not over-reacting.

Since the value of this very high priced coin is entirely rooted in mintage and condition, and I don't believe the melt value will ever begin to approach what I paid, the price should fairly represent what it can sell for given its condition.

I had kind of a nasty message from the seller saying that taking two weeks from deliver is too long and it's my problem, and that coin holders should never be opened, so that is also my fault. Of course the RCM says they make them open-able saying it enhances your enjoyment to be able to look directly at the coin without the lens in the way, which it really does. Of course I know to be very careful. He accused me of dropping or doing something to damage it myself, and if I was complaining about nicks and dents I could see it could happen, but the scratches are like it was rubbed on an abrasive surface, with some areas worse than others.

So, I just examined it again, under really good LED lighting. I saw something I hadn't noticed before. A glint of light caught my eye, and looking close, just inside and below the rim, by the worst of the scratches, there is a "burnished" mirror bright silver area about 2 mm. wide that runs for 1-2 cm. It seriously looks like someone ran a burnisher around the inside of the rim, and this coins field looks much more like a specimen than a proof, and it's more of a raggedy silver shine than a polished proof shine. He swears he didn't open it, though I found what looked like a lot of pollen and a couple small hairs inside. There is also a slightly discolored area in the indented "crotch" area of the top of the maple leaf.

I am confounded over this. I've also sent him this new information and tried to be very reasonable and approach it in a problem solving way, and I hope that tempers his hostility. I also stated that many people would certainly open the coin to verify its condition being that it is so expensive and that his statement that it's irresponsible to open coins is not founded in fact or good practice.

Opinions? BTW, you have already been extremely helpful. Could this be a mint problem? And if it is a mint problem, is this a problem coin that has less numismatic value?

That mark concerns me most too. I know that random particles will settle on anything open to the air, even briefly, and they will just brush off with a clean, gentle brush, or an air bulb squeeze. I have no real problem with that. It's just that he claimed they shouldn't be opened ever and that he didn't open it. The tiny glue spot was definitely already cracked when I received it. Of course I can't prove that. I'm sure I can prove that the mint encourages people to open lenses and capsules to better enjoy viewing their coins.

The 2-3 mm mark by 1-2 cm. looks like a hard-edged tool, maybe a screwdriver or something similar, was drawn hard around the rim. It follows the rim for the entire "run" of its damage. I has a wavy look like hand pressure might do. I can't get a decent photo of it. I'm thinking of taking it to a local coin shop to see if they can analyze and/or photograph it.

The seller has stopped communicating and has been fairly obnoxious about accusing me of doing something to the coin.

When purchasing on ebay it's always good to ask the seller for actual pictures of the coin(s) you are interested in. In case what you received does not match what the seller has shown in his/her pictures, then you are covered. If there is any damage to the coin the seller did not disclose in the listing, then again, you are covered. If the seller is unreasonable, then open a case. You can do that regardless if the seller offers returns or not.
I've been on both sides of this and learned my lesson as a seller. But even if you describe everything correctly and multiple times and having high resolution photos or scans of the exact coin you are selling, you may still encounter some moron who just bids without reading the item description carefully and examining the pictures... In that case you're still out of luck as a seller.

He did have fairly good photos of the coin, but there were scan lines across the coin that blocked the scratches. This is only the second problem I've had out of a couple hundred buys, and the first was a problem I also discussed on this forum with a cherry picked proof set that had dreadful coins, some of which were pressed into the plastic at an oblique angle where the coin was frozen with its edge above the plastic, and all kinds of foreign material problems, and that dealer took it back with no problem. I do look carefully at the photos and avoid bad pictures and obviously over-graded coins. I also get some very good deals because I look carefully at the photos. He is screaming that I have no case because I waited two weeks to complain, but I had ordered a lot of coins in that period and it took me a while to get around to cataloging and inspecting all of them, and truthfully, I discussed it on this forum before contacting him because I wanted to get a sense if I was being reasonable. Honestly, I don't think two weeks is "way too long" and also his argument that I'm stuck with it because I opened it, when I think it's good practice to open the plastic to view them more closely to check for problems, which in this case, turned out to be how I noticed the problem was as bad as it is. He sent an "offer" to resolve it that was nothing more than railing about how bad I am and calling me a liar, with no offer to resolve of any kind.

If ebay were to insist on a price adjustment, and I've only heard they often do this, so I'm not sure if it would happen. Any ideas on how much this flaw should devalue a $600 coin?