What is a "Whizzed" Coin?

I have been doing a little reading on how "whizzed" coins are basically worthless, but don't know what a whizzed coin is. Help.

Thanks,
~Cannyn

 

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Whizzing is done to simulate mint luster. It's done with some type of high speed too (like a dremel). What happens is the tool puts numerous scratches in the coin (similar to flow lines) which simulates the luster. Usually, whizzing is only done to the fields of the coin, but can be done over the devices too. A good whiz job can be hard to detect, and can fool a lot of people. The "giveaway" for a whized coin would be a build up of metal around the raised areas of the coin (this would be where the whizzing stopped).

 

Nm

 

In addition to what raider said, a really good whiz job requires high magnification to identify. A 5x or 10x loupe may not be enough, but even a fairly cheap microscope has enough magnification to see the difference. In this case the difference is very fine incuse marks in consistent , usually circular, direction (on the whizzed coins). A coin which genuine cartwheeling luster, or "bloom" may have die polish lines that can sometimes be confused for whizzing. However, die polish lines are nearly always straight and whizzing marks are usually not.
On coins with original surfaces there may also be a halo effect, from metal flow that radiates from the center to the outside or vice versa. This will not be seen on whizzed coins.

 

This Large Cent has been whizzed. Note the unnatural appearance of the coin. Also note the the buildup of material beside the raised elements on the coin (e.g., numerals in the date, stars and Liberty).

 

Buildup of material around the finer features is a good sign of cleaning by rubbing or whizzing in any case.
Often this buildup is easier to see than marks on the surface or the luster itself. Photo doctoring has become very prevalent, but this is one sign that seems to be consistent.

 

The fine hairlines from whizzing don't necessarily have to be in a circular pattern. A fine brush or buffing (wheel) attachment on a drill can produce hairlines that are parallel to one another. These can be distinguished from die polishing because they remove surface metal leaving incuse striations where die polishing lines would be raised on the coin. The whizzing process will make a coin look shiny, but it destroys the luster. Luster is created by the (surface) flow lines of the metal when the coin is struck and the metal moves outward toward the rim. Whizzing removes the flow lines.

Chris

 

Great example HOBO. This is what CoinTalk so great. Thank you very much.

 

I agree and I should have been more thorough in my explanation but I rushed through it.

Chris

 

Thought I would resurrect this thread after photographing a whizzed coin this afternoon. It is an XF/AU 1894-O Morgan Dollar that someone whizzed in an attempt to pass it off as uncirculated. They did not do a particularly good job and even at a distance, the luster looks strange. Here are some photos of the coin.

Even from over a foot away, something just doesn't look right.



Closeup photo provides a better look at the simulated luster.



A larger photo of the obverse gives us a better look.



And finally a highly magnified look at the tell tale signs of whizzing on the obverse.




For those who ask "why", consider that the 1894-O Morgan Dollar is a $200 coin in AU but jumps over $1,000 even in the lower mint state grades. A poorly whizzed coin like this will not fool an experienced numismatist or professional grader, but for those collectors who enjoy buying raw coins, it is very important that you be able to recognize a whizzed coin when you see one. I hope this post will others in that regard.

Paul

 

:foot-mouth: Extreme whizzzzzzzzzzz.

 

even with the whiz, it doesnt hide the wear. who would think that coin is uncirculated

 

A non collector who decides to invest in coins, without doing any research.

 

Looks familiar...

 

It doesn't seem to make much sense to whiz circulated coins, but can this be done to smooth out unsightly bag marks without being noticed? In other words, turn and MS62 into an MS66?

 

More like extreme belt sander.

 

Some on the forum who learned to grade from Ebay.

Not by this method, but many have attempted it in other ways. Some used to even advertise their skills until increased demand for unaltered coins ( even rare ones) became dominant. It was called "repairing" the coin with holes, gouges, marks, etc.

Nice illustration of whizzing, Paul!

Jim

 

(Deleted - wrong thread)