Lessons in problem coins: Whizzed.

Whizzed is whizzed. You are over thinking this.

Whizzing refers to any mechanical surface manipulation of a coin that involves the movement of metal usually to smooth the fields and/or to simulate luster.

 

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For once, we agree.

 

It HAD to happen.

 

I like the 'simulate luster via mechanical movement of metal' definition.
'Smooth fields' seems like something else entirely.

 

Yes sir! Smoothing sounds to me what you might do NEXT after you found out you've overdone the whizzing.

 

I should probably stay out of this thread but while looking to upgrade my Mercury set I came across this micro-S. Whizzed? It looks like a fairly egregious example to my untrained eye but I'm always looking to learn.

 

Looks overdipped or polished to me.

 

I would agree. The moved metal on the surfaces are quite apparent. Makes it easy to see what they were trying to accomplish by imparting a bogus luster onto the fields.

 

The dime, to these noobie eyes, looks polished.
It doesn't appear whizzed to me.
Again, noobie here.

 

Help me out here: I looked at the dime and thought "not whizzed" because the lines seemed consistent through the inside of 'D' in United; furthermore, those don't even look like the type of lines made by whizzing to me.

Is that a good way to evaluate, what am I missing?

 

Look at that chromed out portrait, though. That mercury dime has been polished .

 

Start looking at modern philly roosevelts. Many have this same sort of die wear.

 

Yes, the devices here HAVE been polished, no doubt at all to me. Now, the fields. They look like there MAY have been some “help” given to the flow lines, but Doug’s most likely correct here. The lines are not “impossible” to be natural, just a little extreme. So, given that they CAN be okay, calling it whizzed would be unfair and unprovable at least.

 

Yes, they were CRANKING those babies out.

 

In a closer examination of the devices it is clear they have been polished using an 8 oz. Silver Shine Polishing Liquid (by Blitz). The silver polish was an old, previously opened bottle, stored at moderate temperatures for about two years before being opened to polish this dime. The towel used to wipe the polish from the coin was a paper towel but I cannot tell if the brand was Brawny or Sparkle. I'm sure most of you have already discerned the polisher was a tiny Asian woman, mid-30's, living in Manhattan - I hesitate to state that detail because I don't care to insult your intelligence.

 

Ahh, but what had she eaten for dinner the evening before? Huh? Huh? Amateurs.

 

Question for all. I’m seeing SOMETHING in the field patch north of E PLURIBUS UNUM. Ideas?