With the 3rd release of the Chiwoo Cheonwang Medallion delayed due to quality control issues, I wanted to take a moment to address an issue that I have been hearing a lot about concerning KOMSCO products. The ever present contact marks on the rim edge.
From the mints perspective, I don’t think they are classifying this as a problem. The rims of the Chiwoo Cheonwang were purposefully designed to be raised above the face of the medallion. When these medals are manufactured, processed, handled and stacked in a tube for distribution to dealers, they will inevitably make contact but due to the raised rim design this contact only occurs on the rim itself, allowing the main subject of the coin to have very minimal contact with other surfaces.
We should be mindful that these medallions are a BU and not a proof grade product. They are not designed to be flawless.
Now, I like perfect specimens just like the next person, but if I want a perfect example, I buy a proof MS70 grade not BU.
I believe that we as stackers have become spoiled by the availability of some mints that produce a very high-grade BU product that is nearly perfect, but we also need to remember that perfect BU products are not supposed to be the norm but rather the exception.
I think it's a little unfair to expect perfection from a product that is designed and manufactured to only be a bullion brilliant circulated grade.
What are your thoughts about the Chiwoo rim edge contact marks? Let me know!
