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.
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Posted 08/15/2006 1:54 pm
