Hairline Question

Sometimes they can have hairlines if they were wiped, but not cleaned with any chemical and/or abrasive agent. Even a fine cloth can leave hairlines.

Hairlines can be caused from the Mint cello also, the coins that were packaged in this cello have more room than necessisary and can slide from side to side.

Rick

Hi Texas

Here is the definition of hairlines as supplied by PCGS

Fine cleaning lines found mainly in the fields of proof coins although they are sometimes found across the entire surface of proof coins and on Business strike coins.

This definition does not seem to include die polishing as a cause for hairlines.

Rick

Bryan that is a beautifull picture

In general if the lines are in the fields only and do not continue over the devices I will go with die polishing lines
If the lines continue over the devices I am very cautious
Also in general I will not buy a coin with diepolishing lines on it
even if I know it will grade MS65

When I started on pure silver I took dust of a coin to scan it
I used the shearest pure silk ponge 5 to do this
The coin was ruined by hairlines

Thanks for the answers. That helped out tremendously. So hairlines are acceptable as long as they are very minor and very few. And to not look as if they were from cleaning of any sort. I try not to buy coins with hairlines, but it does happen. Always thought that hairlines meant that it has been cleaned to some degree. Gives me a better understanding at what I'm looking at. Thanks all.

I have a visual problem here
to me whether the hairlines are from harsh cleaning or from bad polished dies they hurt my feelings of striving for perfection
I know the first is a boddybag and the second may be a MS65

While almost all "wiped" coins have corresponding hairlines, not all hairlines are caused by cleaning. Some are caused by friction with other coins, either in rolls or bags.

I have a good number of MS63 coins (graded by NCG or PCGS) that have a lot of spider-web type lines covering large parts of the fields AND devices. This has been one way I think graders distinguish between MS63's and 64's. One (63) can be so covered it looks like Liberty's portrait was taken in drizzling weather. I don't think these coins are cleaned because nearly all of them still have blinding mint luster, and, more important, the lining is not "systematic" as it is with wiped coins (the lines on cleaned coins being patches of parallel lines tracking the texture of the cloth or whatever, instead of randomly placed.

As to die polish lines, I think they are cool, though not as cool as die cracks. Once you've had a good look at a coin with die polish lines, they're pretty easy to distinguish from hairlines. A good loop will show die-polish lines as raised, similar to distinguishing scratches from slender die cracks.

quote:

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Originally posted by Stephen420

I have a good number of MS63 coins (graded by NCG or PCGS) that have a lot of spider-web type lines covering large parts of the fields AND devices. This has been one way I think graders distinguish between MS63's and 64's.

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I have seen the work of an artist using a camel hair brush with hairs about 10 inches long
With a slight rotation of the brush lines will not run parallel but they will run over fields and devices
So I am leary of those lines whatever the slabbers say