Smoothed coins

I was hoping someone could describe to me what it means when a grading service says a coin has been smoothed. I assume this must be something mechanical. Perhaps a version of tooling? Thanks in advance for any information.

 

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"Smoothed" means that metal has been moved, usually to cover-up marks and scratches. It's done to make the coin look better, and perhaps fool a novice.

It is also frequently seen on early copper coins that have corroded. The goal is to remove the roughness and perhaps make the coin more acceptable. Many early copper coins were smoothed over 100 years ago. Sometimes you see the word "tooling" which often means the same thing.

It almost always results in a "no grade" or "details" holder when the piece is sent to one of the major grading services.

 

'Smoothed" is a deceitful way someone (probably an auction house) came up with to make a fraudulent alteration (tooling) to improve the appearance of a coin damaged in some way appear to be acceptable. Unfortunately, and perhaps one reason "they" got away with this deceitfulness is the fact that at one time in the past, tooling and reengraving details on a coin was a common practice. Words can be used to convey a mild "degree" to something rather than a cold hard fact.

 

thanks for the feedback. I will assume, though, that any smoothing must have been done to the fields.

 

Assume nothing. A coin with a repaired cheek can be described as "smoothed" also.

 

You raise an interesting thought: I've seen a number of old albums/folders/frames with old coins that were cleaned when 'cleaning' was the thing to do. Old stuff picked up by the LCS when the buying up old collections of stuff. Do the TPGs give any consideration when a cleaned coin might precede when cleaning was generally frowned upon?

 

Smoothed is a nice way to say it’s been tampered with.

 

“Smoothed” is usually something more. It involves removing something beyond surface. You disturb something below that.

Think about how deep a scratch goes. “Smoothed” goes deeper than that.

 

How do they actually do it? I've seen these coins and they look almost like they've been sanded, but with the smoothest sandpaper you've ever seen. Seems like a lot of work.

 

There is no way to tell when a coin was cleaned or tooled with 100% accuracy. Often we can tell old from recent to new but it is still not 100%. Look, an alteration is an alteration no matter when it occurred. Fortunately, there is a huge coin market for "detailed" specimens.

It is not done with sand paper. Look up "burnishing."

 

Not really sure what was "smoothed" on this or why.

 

They will if the cleaning is not too bad. Of course a lot of collectors view that as "market grading" and refuse to buy the coins.

 

I've read about another thing that some old timers did to coins were to shellac them the idea was to keep them from turning. I can't say for sure that I've seen any but I see a good number of Lincoln's on the bay that look like they've got some kind of coating on them.

 

You rub a coin with a cloth and polish it quite easily. It's easier with soft brush mounted on a drill. The brushed used for whizzing have fine brussels. It doesn’t take much time or effort.

 

Agree in general, and I Include adding a little something to smooth things over. It is not always about removal.
Just my opinion.

The 1907 IHC posted... added to or removed from.....or both?

 

Smoothing is a euphemism for burnishing. As others have said, it is a process of moving metal using a blunt tool of either steel or stone. Burnishing can be good if done by an artist to help produce the look he or she wants. For example, gilding is burnished to make it conform to the surface to which it is applied. On coins it is done to reduce the appearance of corrosion spots, scratches, etc.

If skillfully done to reduce the appearance of scratches or porosity from corrosion, it cal actually make a coin look nicer. However, since what we want in coins today is "originality" (or the appearance thereof), burnished coins are considered damaged and so are of reduced value.

 

charley, posted: "The 1907 IHC posted... added to or removed from.....or both?"

Who knows?

IMO, a majority of the experts at PGGS are in a world of their own.

 

In a PGGS eye......

 

if I putty a piece, is it "smoothing", or just soothing? Smoothing does not require or limit itself to, removal/moving metal.
Both can occur on a doctored piece.

Just my opinion. I am of course wrong, wrong, wrong.......