Please note the green substance on the reverse of this PCGS graded SLH. I'm thinking it might it be PVC residue. If you were me would you bust it out of the slab, give it an acetone rinse and pop it into an air tite? Or, leave it be? Considering the coins value, resubmission would be a waste of money, IMO.
Where did you buy it? If it was eBay, I'd be inclined to return it and find one that didn't have an issue.
I see a lot of this vintage of half at live auctions. I've seen a lot with this pattern of green stuff, too. Every time I tried acetone, it worked. Some much more quickly than others. I don't know the reason for the time differential.
When we get back to Maine I will check the records to see when I purchased it and from whom. We moved last summer and at the time closed out our safety deposit boxes. Before adding coins to the SDB in the new location I took photos of any that lacked images in the records. This 1843 is one of them, so I assume it was purchased long ago. Following years of storage the green stuff appeared. Therefore, it might be tough getting the seller to take it back.
This is why I acetone just about every coin before submitting it for slabbing. It prevents coins turning in the slab like this due to fingerprints or PVC (or other) residue on the coin that you can't see at the time.
Unfortunately if it's been that long, the coin is yours to figure out. I would do as @halfcent1793 suggested, have it conserved. You could contact PCGS customer service and discuss with them the issue, if it's something that turned in the holder it may fall under their guarantee. I would not hold my breath on them taking care of it free of charge, but a phone call would not hurt. If they won't take care of it, then I'd probably just crack it and soak it in acetone myself and not worry about submitting it again.
Agreed. The coin value is under a hundred dollars so sending it anywhere for any reason is a money looser. Cracking it out will be a new experience for me, so I will have to search the threads for methods of doing that without damaging the coin.
If it is somehing that developed in the holder after it was slabbed then it DOESN'T fall under their guarantee.
I had a feeling. It seems their guarantee does not really cover anything anymore. Starting to sound more and more like the "Tommy Boy" guarantee.
Acetone just removes all of the oils from the surface and thereby leaves it open to easy corrosion. I wouldn't send a coin to be slabbed that had been degreased with acetone without putting some kind of lubricant back on it.
