First off I realize the pic is not the best but it is the best I could do with the equipment I have. I want to know if you think this coin was dipped. If so how does it change the value? I purchased a small collection from someone and this was marked EF40 also. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Over-dipping can remove small amounts of metal from the surface of the coin which, in turn, impairs the luster. From your photos, it's hard to tell. The surfaces look to be EF, maybe even AU, but if it has been improperly cleaned, it would lower the grade to VF/EF at best. Chris
Looking at the coin I would have to say that yes it has been dipped. The question is if the coin has been over-dipped. Unfortunately that cannot be judged based on your pics. Based on the apparent wear i would agree, probably low XF. But that may change to no grade if it was over-dipped.
I don't know what type of camera equipment you're using, but I think you may need to invest in either a tripod or copy stand to minimize camera movement. Without one of these, you'll find that every time you enlarge one of your photos, you will just be magnifying the distortion. A good copy stand can be pretty expensive, but if you opt for this rather than a tripod, just be aware that the inexpensive models are junk and can break easily. Chris
Thanks Chris. I am trying to get a friend to take pics of all my coins. They do professional photography.
Just from the photos, I would be worried about the coin being polished as well as dipped. Circulation coins should not really be shiny like that. Take a 5x magnifier and see if you spot tiny little scratches lined up in a certain direction. Remember, we are not trying to insult your coin, we can only go off the quality of the pics we see. I am seeing a cleaned and polished coin.
It has been dipped as have most of the coins you have shared on the boards. I had assumed you knew this and that you liked the look of dipped, circulated coinage. The value of this coin is hurt by the dipping since circulated coins look awfully strange when dipped. Likewise, the liquidity of the coin has suffered, too.
I think I will take them into the coin dealer here to get his opinion on all of them. My camera will not allow me to take good pictures so I will have him look at them. Thanks for all your input
The camera may not allow great images, but we can tell that the surfaces have been worked on in the past.
I would love to start a professional coin photo business, but I don't think the economics would work. Send me your coin, I take a professional photo and send the coin back. Lots of issues/complications pop to mind, but it sure would be a useful service. I see so many blurry photos of coins not only here but on eBay as well. And yes, based on your picture it looks dipped. Isn't this a fairly common issue coin? If it is XF (no less possibly over-dipped), why would you bother having it graded?
I have never seen dipping make a coins surfaces shiny like that. My guess is it was lightly polished. Over dipping just makes them look dead... Not reflective and shiny. Dipping doesn't do this:
No, but pictures can. That said it's possible you are right. But I still think the coin has been dipped. Cleaning a coin with a cloth, or polishing, typically will not remove as much dirt/grime and/or dark toning from the protected areas. Were this coin "only" polished there would be much more of it (the dark) visible in those protected areas. But there isn't, thus I am reasonably certain it has been dipped for dipping is the only thing that can do that. So, perhaps, dipped, and then polished, is an option. Or not.
