I magically removed corrosion from a large cent.

First, do NOT try this at home. This is the exception, not the rule. This coin sold for $99 to a fellow collector friend of mine, who told me he bought it on Heritage after he sold it to me, which is how I found the pics. I cracked it and used acetone and a toothpick, mainly just to improve the appearance of the focal areas. The crust came off without a whole lot of effort, save for a couple specks. I thought it was F15 or VF20 on a good day, but I'm just happy it straight graded. I did NOT plan to send it in, but after de-crusting it, I thought it had a shot, amazingly. And it did!

Before: NGC VF details.


After: PCGS F12


This is the S-230, perfect die stage I. No reverse die crack. Price Guide value is $325 in F12. I did not have them add the variety, but some wonderfully astute members here identified it.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

VF was way to high for this coin. F-12 is the most it should grade.

Nice job on the restoration!

 

How did they get it so wrong?

 

A clever make-up job. Any glamour photog will tell you that.

 

I'll try to answer this.

C-B-D did a great job removing the BLACK GUNK from the coin. There are many products you can use to remove it. That is not the reason the coin was "detailed" by NGC. The coin's surface is corroded. It still is. Unfortunately, a majority of old copper is porous.

As for the grade, IMO, based on the grading guide images, TODAY it is closer to a "commercial" VF 20 than a Fine 12. Decades ago Fine 12 would have been plenty. I suspect the NGC graders pushed it to a VF because once a coin is detailed, the coin's grade matters little. I also suspect the PCGS graders used "Net Grading" to drop the coin to Fine 12.

Just think, everyone would possibly be happy with a F-15 straight grade.

 

Great job on restoring that coin. Glad it straight graded.

 

Did you use a magic Possum?

 

Very interesting. Who'd have thunk you could remove corrosion - if not from the coin, at least from the label...

 

They do that all of the time.

I noticed the corrosion still present too. I just assumed it was given a pass like cleanings are on bust halves

 

GDJMSP, posted: "...Coins corrode, just like all metals, and once they do they are damaged forever. What CBD did to this coin is just like removing the rust from a piece of steel. He removed the result of the corrosion, but not the effects of the corrosion. The effects can never be removed.

Well said, Amen.

PS Should you give CBD a "like?"

 

Emphasis on "away" -- something combines with the metal and takes it away from its original position on the coin. And once that happens, it can't be put back, any more than you can un-scramble an egg. You can turn the oxide or sulfide or chloride or carbonate back into metal, but you can't put that metal back where it came from on the coin. (And if you try, you're "doctoring", not "conserving".)

 

Ya know Wizard as a part time wizard, I wouldn't want my full time customers to know that you're working your magic on their potential purchases. as it may change their opinions of your inventory. "A word to the wise....is sufficient."

 

Sometimes corrosion can be removed by further wear on a coin. The price, of course, is the grade goes down.

Cal

 

?

 

That was the first thing which occurred to me when I saw the subject line before I read the thread.

 

It looks really good! You did a nice job.
The corrosion really took away from the look of the coin.

 

That’s only if you believe the only ones capable of doing what John did are NGC & PCGS. Otherwise, it looks like he conserved a coin and the graders agreed.