Shield Nickel RPD

Howdy all,

I got this piece from a bargain box at the Summer FUN show. It's got some black gunk on it, should I clean it? And also any thoughts on grade, value, etc...? Reverse pic is kind of bad so I wont post it.



Thanks,
Aidan

 

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Clean NO.
My2cent

 

It looks like it has environmental damage to me.

Chris

 

acetone, then leave the rest alone

 

DO NOT CLEAN...

 

RPD...what is that?

 

That is an 1869 FS-1869-1304 (005.5) Repunched date with an URS of 4 Fletcher -408 the date is a triple punched with a set of secondary digits to the north and to the east of the primary. The top northern secondary 86 is touching the ball. It is the short fat date variety and the reverse of the 67 hub llc .
Try a dip as this variety is an $80 in F vf-125. $175 in Xf.
Nice variety pick up ,I give it a 24 hour soak in acetone , and see if the crud comes off. After that leave it alone . I give it an f vf grade.

 

An interesting find. Should you clean it? No, because cleaning is a tricky business and should only be done by experts, and if not done properly can reduce a coin's value.

 

You could send it in to NGC for a professional restoration but ...the value would probably remain the same as the condition of being a F -Vf grade may not be worth the increase due to the variety.
Let's see the reverse

 

Thanks Paddy, I cherry picked this show.
I'd hate to mess this up. What's the proper way to soak this coin in acetone?

 

Repunched date.

 

Another fact about it it's an R-7 Extra Rare!
A glass jar with acetone soak 24 hours, dump the old replenish with fresh and soak again. Be careful as acetone is very flammable !!!

 

How long should the second soak last? Should I rinse off in water afterward or just dry it with off with a paper towel?

 

Soak 24 change acetone to fresh then soak 24 more hours in the fresh. No water pat dry in a soft micro fiber rag . From your images it's hard to tell what the crud is. But in 48 hours two soaks it should get better. If not just leave it.
Post the reverse image so I can see it.

 

You did very well, an URS-4 R-7 means maybe 6 to 13 known. As a shield nickel collector I would be off the grid with this find.

 

...Woah, thanks for the info Paddy.

 

So now let me rethink the coin going to be restored . Since it's such a rare variety you may want to think about having it looked at before you dip it. As I'm not certain giving it a bath in acetone at this point is the best idea. If I were sure of what the crud is I may give it a try. But since I don't , I say send it in for a conservation . Yes this could cost some bucks,however you may have something that a variety shield collector would be willing to pay for.

 

I think you're right, I'll sit on it for a while.

 

Question: how can you tell it it's a URS-4 R-7?