1926-S Peace Dollar PCGS MS63, somewhere in there, I guess. How did they manage to grade this anyway? Would you consider taking a chance to "conserve" and get rid of that horrible toning, or would that just reveal tone damage underneath? Or just leave it as is on the table and walk away? http://teletrade.com/coins/lot.asp?auction=3233&lot=1221#n
Walk away. If you don't like the toning (and I don't) why spend the money to have it conserved and regraded, not knowing how it may turn out? You should be able to find one you like easily enough. Lance.
Not out of any seriousness, but rather for entertainment purposes. What's hiding under that toning, is it better or worse? I'd think chances are that the toning is best left there and the coin is just what it is now.
But would CAC sticker it? If not, would they sticker it if it was graded MS62? Would that mean anything even if they did? What dealer would dare sell this at bluesheet? These are existential questions that, to me, would be worth the expense to settle.
There are thousands of coins toned exactly like that and some of them are graded as high as MS67. Do I think they deserve a 67 when they look like that ? No, absolutely not. But NGC and PCGS have both graded them as such. A 63, 64, maybe even a 65 in select cases, that I could see and even agree with. But any higher - no way. You ask how they could manage to grade it, well you can. With the coin in hand and a close enough examination you can find every hit and contact mark on the coin. You can also determine if there is any wear on the coin. And that is how they, or anybody, can manage to grade them. As for dipping, as with any coin, it depends. You'd have to see it in hand to determine if the coin were clean enough to warrant trying to dip it. But seeing as how they gave it a 63, I suspect it would not be. I suspect that hidden in that mottled toning there are enough contact marks and such to justify the grade of 63. Otherwise it would have been graded higher. And if it were graded higher then yes, I would probably dip it because that type of toning usually doesn't reduce the luster underneath much. And believe it or not some people actually find that type of toning attractive.
I would just leave it as is. Its still a nice coin in good condition, though the toning makes it hard to see.
I'd wonder why I was asking strangers on the internet for purchasing advice over a sub-$100 coin, especially when I'd already made up my mind to buy the coin. But maybe that's just me.
Who says I had made up my mind, and who says the purpose of this thread was to help me make up my mind? I was more interested in just talking about it. It sold for more than I was willing to spend anyway.
Common coin. Pass if you don't like it. Conservation doesn't always work.... That said, I'll wager that coin is a lot more colorful and attractive in hand, and that's why it went for more than you expected.
