Saw this on e-bay and was wondering if this just might be a "D"? What do you think? Gotta figure how to load the image...
I used to have a 1916 something dime. It looked about like this. I gave it to a kid at a show a while back….. But ever since I wondered what would happen if a person used Nic-A-Date on dimes like this? Wonder if it would work like raising a Buffalo date?
Probably. Authentic, details, surfaces altered. I haven't quite figured out exactly what they mean by that. It would be nice if they came back with a note giving a reason for that.
At least one or two of the grading companies will slab restored Buffalo nickels as details coins. Someone here a while back claimed to have raised dates on a couple of 1923-S quarters. He sent at least one of them to one of the TPGs that slabs restored nickels. They body-bagged the quarter, though. The process for raising dates on nickels is well-understood and well-established. The process(es) for raising dates on silver are not; I think there's still debate as to whether it's truly possible. My concern: it's possible to etch arbitrary patterns into metal surfaces. That makes a powerful incentive for people to cheat. At some point, someone may start doing it on Buffs, or maybe they already have. If so, that market could collapse at any time.
I really don’t remember. My dealer buddy sent it to PCGS with a batch he had. He told me it was bodybagged so I didn’t make a special trip to get it. Next time I saw him was at a show. He handed me the dime and I turned right around and handed it to a Boy Scout nearby.
PCGS and NGC at one time wouldn't slab coins that were details period. I think they saw themselves losing business to ANACS (and maybe ICG too) because they would slab anything that wasn't counterfeit. I'm not sure when the top two buckled and started doing "Genuine". You've been collecting a lot longer than I have, so it's possible that's the reason they did what they did to you. I'd be less than happy (saying it nicely) if I had a legitimate coin, paid the fee, and they refused to authenticate it.
Randy, what kind of deal do you get from your LCS to send with their batches? I spend half my time in a remote coastal town on the gulf and the rest on the east coast in a metro area of more than a million people. I think we have exactly 2 legitimate coin dealers for the entire area. I asked one of them if they provided that service and was told they no longer do. So for the past two years I purchased the PCGS platinum membership. It doesn't spread much coverage on what I like to do. I may go back to ANACS (or ICG) for the lower valued coins going forward. ANACS has slabbed around 100 coins for me but for the really nice stuff I prefer PCGS. It really bites when a coin comes back details.
Randy, I looked it up. PCGS started grading and slabbing details coins in 2010. PCGS officially introduced "Details" grading and began encapsulating problem coins in 2010. Prior to this, their strict policy was to return coins that had been altered or damaged (such as cleaned, scratched, or holed) without assigning a numerical grade or slabbing them.
Hey, Kentucky, what's the date of the coin? At this position it is just that mm placement date and examples to confirm. I think I see a D!
I have a number of these 1916 dimes and if you look hard enough you can see what you want. IMO if it doesn't jump right out as a legit D, I don't spend time trying to talk myself into seeing something. That's not to say that you shouldn't spend your money and time on them. By all means get a few different options.
If you take a big hit of Hopeium, sure. But would you authenticate and guarantee that it's a D? I think it's either a random pockmark that causes you to think there's a D there, or somebody messed with it for that reason. If you look at all the AG3 examples on Heritage, the hole in the D is the first part to disappear. Tons of them have identical wear and the D is still plain as day.
