2771961-003; 2771961-004; 2771961-005 Some pieces that were sentimental that I wanted graded and protected. The displays are great but capsules do not always prevent tarnish.
Well, like I said before, it's possible that NGC is responsible but unlikely. The coins could easily have had the fingerprints on them when you bought them, but you would not be able to see them, even with magnification, because it takes time before fingerprints become visible.
So they showed up on 3 different coins (from 3 different sources) cleaerly visible and still greasy between last week and this week? And the same fingerprints are on the slabs too?? One is a big smudge near the eagle's talon...something that would never be overlooked.
I have several 80s proof sets developing these milk spots in the OGP, primarily on the Kennedy and Washington. It's ugly to look at but I don't bother them, they're not worth a lot anyways.
Yes. Especially since you are talking about "coins" that weigh 2.2 pounds each. If it were me I would be surprised to find those without any fingerprints on them. If for no other reason than for the sheer difficulty of handling them because of the weight.
Well the prints are fresh and in any event NGC said they would take care of it. I looked the coins over with gloves prior to shipping. Outside of that no one touched them except Perth Mint and Sunshine Mint...the mints who stuck them. If even the slightest print was on them when I got them they would have been returned. I am the only owner of these coins.
I don't doubt that you are the only owner, but that doesn't have anything to do with what I have been saying. Apparently it has not sunk in that it sometimes can take months or even longer before a fingerprint on a coin even becomes visible. That alone makes it unlikely that anyone at NGC got the prints on the coins. Because if they had you would not be able to see them yet. But the horse is dead, I shall stop beating it.
Yes it can take months but I looked at them the day they were packed. I switched capsules and used non-original capsules to ship them there. And then they arrive with clear fresh smudges of the same style on different coins in the same places....and on the slabs inside. All 4 coins I sent had the smudges/prints in the same place. IN any event they need to be removed before the silver corrodes. I even offered to pay extra to get them back to perfect. And I opted for scratch resistent slabs...the slabs were returned with scratches and swirls all on the surface.
Update. I sent the 5 coins with fingerprints back to NGC for appearance review...with simple notes to point the prints out. They quickly removed the fingerprints to perfection an reslabbed. Outstanding service. Some of the slabs were scratched the first time which is not good when you pay almost $60 for larger slabs with scratch proof coating. They packed the new ones really well and all arrived perfectly. The great job sold me on their conservation services. Of course there are tarnish removers one can buy but the key is the holding/rinsing/drying. Only a commercial facility can do those things well.
Mkwelbornjr, FYI, it is absolutely possible for a coin to be returned with a fingerprint from slabbing. There is a PCGS video on youtube showing their grading process, and the fact is it is done with bare ungloved hands. An argument is that gloves make a coin more difficult to handle and therefore increases the chance of dropping, damage, etc. Of course care is taken by either TPG is this respect, but prints appear more often than many realize. Although it is just as likely the coins were printed sometime prior to submission. Point is it can and does happen.