Gold Coins and Bag Marks

You would think that gold coins that have never been in circulation would have no marks on them. It is true they wouldn't have wear marks like circulated coins do. But, unless they have received special handling at the mint, there is a good chance they will have bag marks otherwise known as contact marks.

So just what are bag marks? They are marks mainly caused by the coins being dropped in sacks (along with several other coins) at the mint and the handling of these bags as they transported to one or more destinations. The coins coming into contact with other coins can cause minor nicks or other flaws that mar the surface of the coin. Large gold coins are especially prone to bag marks since gold is such a soft metal.

There are several grades of uncirculated coins. An MS-70 coin (a perfect coin) would have no bag marks - probably due to special handling of the coin. Any grade below that would have some sort of flaw with the lowest uncirculated grade of MS-60 having the most serious of the bag marks.

Happy investing.