Experienced bidders practice restraint when they spot a desired coin that may or may not be grade-worthy at PCGS, ANACS, CAC or NGC.
Regular viewers know that I collect rainbow toned coins. So when I saw this one, I immediately planned to bid strong. The colors were natural, as was the bag imprint on the obverse.
But then I expanded the photo and spotted the hairlines and scratches, which the toning in part obscured, prompting my learned response: “I can’t bid.”
This 1928 dime below had a wheel mark under “United” from a counting machine. (You can read about wheel marks here.) Otherwise the dime might have earned an MS66 full bands designation from PCGS–a $650 value. As much as I wanted to take a chance, hoping the PCGS grader might miss this flaw, I had to practice restraint and say, “I can’t bid.”
Below is another desirable dime containing pin scratches under the “U” in “United” as well as under “Unum.”
I also spotted a scratch on this beautiful 1917 dime:
Memorize the “I can’t bid” motto anytime your eagerness dulls your common sense.
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