Bought My First MS-67 Coin - Is This 1996-W Dime Really MS-67?

The 1996-W 50th Anniversary Roosevelt (like most other modern strikes) are fairly common (not trying to demean yours) to have higher grades across the board. The determining factor for rarity would be the Full Torch (FT) designation on Third Party Grading ( TPG) slabs. Dings and scratches can deduct points from any coin, it all depends on where and to what extent. And TPGers have bad days as well, it may have slipped through the cracks. If you don't like the details of your coin, send it back to whoever you got it from, provided you are still in the return window.

I am using my 96-W as the clad Roosevelt in my 7070.

It is a minor struck-through error, caused by unknown debris between the die and planchet when the coin was struck. A TPG would not note something like that on a slab unless the submitter paid extra for error attribution. It also does not really add any value to the coin and might actually lower the value slightly for some collectors as it could be seen as a distraction.

I agree with biokemist6. It can be difficult to distinguish damage from struck-through errors in some cases, and it can be confusing as errors generally don't count against the technical grade (though they may affect the desirability of the coin, depending on the collector).

I guess I am just cynical tonight.

I would think that a strike error would degrade the rating of a coin so I suspect that the TPG took this into account when they graded it (at least I hope they would have).

I am not sure I am seeing what you are talking about unless it is the mark below the "D" in "United". The only thing I can see beyond that in your photos appears to be marks on the case (like the one by the "O" in "OF") which are currently inevitable.

I don't know what you paid for this or what you expect to gain, if anything, from your purchase.

I can only offer this...

I bought my wife a diamond engagement ring with a flaw that is noticeable only under a 20x loupe. We knew it when we bought it and we know it is not as valuable in the market as a more flawless diamond. I told the jeweler this when I bought it and he told me "that's why it's not as expensive as a flawless one". It fell out of her setting a few months ago and we thought it gone forever. We found it when cleaning a while later and took it to a jeweler to get re-mounted in a better setting. The other jewler set a value on it well above what we paid for it even though it was flawed (even adjusted for inflation). When we got it back, I had my wife look back through a 20x loupe and she knew right away that it was "her" diamond because of the not non-naked eye noticeable flaw.

So - this dime is yours. You would probably be able to recognize it if it were removed from its holder and put in a different holder. My opinion is that it most likely is graded correctly but that is always an arguable point. If you think you should have received one less flawed for the price you paid, you should argue the point with the seller. I think a MS-67 should not have a gouge or die strike error but that is my opinion.

Well after sleeping on it, I've decided to return the coin. I think I should get one that I have no reservations about.

Was reading this thread and wondering how one tells the difference between a struck through error and a gouge, scratch, or ding.