Posted 11/09/2010 10:22 pm
That's not a 'scratch' ..... its a few gouges. 
In the spirit of helping ....... IMHO this is a poorly struck AU-55 coin that suffers from some challenges.
As to grade ..... the high point of the design on the obverse is the hair between the eye and LIBERTY ..... and this coin shows some wear there that I can't attribute to strike quality.
Not much wear hence my AU-55 starting point.
Strike quality is weak ...... take a look at the stars on the obverse ..... starting at 7:00 stars 1 and 2 are blobs .... same for stars 9 through 13. This is not wear but strike quality.
Similar strike evaluations can be made on the reverse ..... the wreath as a whole is indistinct and my 'favorite' indicator corn cob is looking mushy.
There appear to be some interesting die cracks on both the obverse and reverse ...... unless its just the photos?
I see a die crack on the obverse from the base of the bust through star #1 ..... and some truly unusual action on the reverse associated with the "UNITED". Need better photos ....... but my best guess is a Cud about to form on the reverse.
As to those 'scratches' ...... IMHO they are severe enough to prevent this coin from acquiring a TPG grade ....... three gouges on the obverse and a minor hit on the reverse ...
My best overall assessment is AU-55 Damaged.
Hope my detailed explanation helps ...... others may have other opinions.
David
In the spirit of helping ....... IMHO this is a poorly struck AU-55 coin that suffers from some challenges.
As to grade ..... the high point of the design on the obverse is the hair between the eye and LIBERTY ..... and this coin shows some wear there that I can't attribute to strike quality.
Not much wear hence my AU-55 starting point.
Strike quality is weak ...... take a look at the stars on the obverse ..... starting at 7:00 stars 1 and 2 are blobs .... same for stars 9 through 13. This is not wear but strike quality.
Similar strike evaluations can be made on the reverse ..... the wreath as a whole is indistinct and my 'favorite' indicator corn cob is looking mushy.
There appear to be some interesting die cracks on both the obverse and reverse ...... unless its just the photos?
I see a die crack on the obverse from the base of the bust through star #1 ..... and some truly unusual action on the reverse associated with the "UNITED". Need better photos ....... but my best guess is a Cud about to form on the reverse.
As to those 'scratches' ...... IMHO they are severe enough to prevent this coin from acquiring a TPG grade ....... three gouges on the obverse and a minor hit on the reverse ...
My best overall assessment is AU-55 Damaged.
Hope my detailed explanation helps ...... others may have other opinions.
David
Take a look at my other hobby ... http://www.jk-dk.art
