Looking for input on the state of this 31S. The wear is light but the spots are pretty bad. How much effect does such "corrosion" have on the value of such a coin? Thanks
The spots do not help with the eye appeal. I would think that it could make it to F12 but the strike on the reverse is very light. Although it doesn't look cleaned to me, it does look like something has dulled the surface. Thus, I will go with F-12 damaged with a value of about $35.
Keys and semi keys in this kind of condition make me rather dubious. Forgers are known to bury their coins in their backyard and pee on them to age and oxidize them like this. I'd take a good look at the year and mint mark. The weak reverse also causes pause.
The color makes it appear cleaned. It's way too orange. As if it were a metal detecting find and they tried to get the crud off, and the spots are what remained after the cleaning. And the orange color. As for a forgery as mentioned above, the last 1 seems out of position. What does it weigh?
It was dipped in ketchup, too, or something acidic like that, that "pinked" it out. That's a shame, as, for all its faults, it holds a strong technical shape.
LOL......lost my hunger.......it's late, and old bones degrade and fall to the wayside....I fear I must recluse myself to the morrow.....Good night folks..........
I think the odd color is partially due to the lighting. The corrosion spots are bad. Especially since they are green and appear to be active. You need to remove the active corrosion immediately, and then you'll only be left with a spotted and environmentally damaged coin. It appears to have EF details, and I'd probably start at about half of normal wholesale and move down from there. This is a date that is actually pretty common in higher grades (although lower circulated grades are harder to find). While it is known as a key, or at least semi-key, it is common enough that problem coins like this are going to take a pretty hard value hit.
