this makes me want to cry

[DHalladay]

For a couple of years now I've been seriously flirting with finally getting one of these. It's been my #1 Dream Coin forever -- a 1915-S $50 octagonal Pan-Pac gold commemorative, so I've looked pretty closely at several dozen so far. This one is currently in the bidding process, but this is why I won't have anything to do with it:

$50 Pan-Pac scratch.jpg (193.34 KiB) Viewed 528 times

Not only is it in a straight-graded holder , it's a 64 to boot.
No thank you and no freaking way.

[VamHelsing]

Just squint and pretend it's a die crack...

[Namvet69]

Ouch, I am always disappointed with a staple scratch. The hunt continues. Peace Roy

[vamnuke]

Maybe one of those headlight restoration kits would help...

[Vam-mysterio]

🥺

[messydesk]

This year's Miss May, also a 64, but no scratches.

[Kurt28]

I need a little help understanding how this happens.
Long ago I was cautioned not to scratch coins with staples, and my concern was with 2x2s that hadn't had the staple flattened.
This appears to be different.
I developed protocols for stapling and removing, and none of them would involve this.
How did this happen and what do others do to avoid it?
Thanks.

[messydesk]

...
How did this happen and what do others do to avoid it?
Thanks.

No way to tell how it happened, but this coin was not in a stapled 2x2. Could have been a stray staple or paperclip, maybe a piece of jewelry.

Avoid it by just being careful. If you have coins in stapled 2x2s, when you take them out, don't pry them open, exposing the staples. Instead, poke the Mylar with a stick and "peel" the coin out, set it down, and promptly throw the empty 2x2 in the trash.

[vamsterdam]

pcgs seems to be way more lenient with scratches on some people coins than others.