As far as scratches, there is really no way to remove them. That said, this is a very nice snare. I have one, except mine has the Type"B" lugs, the very skinny ones like on my blue sparkle. If this is an 8 lugger, do yourself a favor, put the Remo Fybershin on top. It mellows this drum out and makes it much more versatile, IMO....Mine is the same shell, only it has the other lugs and a round blue badge that reads Made In Japan. It is a Star and here is the catalog page:

http://www.tamadrum.co.jp/anniversary/expansion.php?cat_id=8&now=13

Would a Fiberskyn go better with my Whitehall also? It's wood, I assume mahogany.

Not very likely. These are really a different type of drum than most people are used to dealing with. I use the fyberskin to calm down the COS shell and I am rather happy with it. This is, of course, a matter of taste when all other things are equal. The wood shells, I am really a fan of this new Aquarian single ply with Z-100 coating. I use it on all of my woodies and I am really a fan. The Fyberskin, on the other hand, is a heavier head and will choke the 3 ply shells and simply sound flat and un-inspiring on the 6 and 9 ply stencils. Again, this is all a matter of your ears and those of the rest of your band and soundman/system.

Also, if you need to know how to post pix here, it is easy. Whe starting or replying to a thread, scroll down the page and you will see a box and button that says "Manage Attachments" click on the button and locate the file on your computer, the click upload, then you are on your way.

You mean like this:

Well, not really. The Premeir is not as ringy as this Star snare. They have a ring to them that is quite in your face. At least mine did. It took the Fiberskin and several months to get the that under control. The Star COS has a huge range, and can be quite a nice drum, but some of them can be a handful.