Grading advice, please be gentle

I recently picked up this 1883-O Morgan DPML from an auction. To my disappointment it looks like the auction house was less than kind in handling the coin. I was hoping to get it graded but now I just don’t know. It almost looks like someone even tried cleaning it, there are some micro scratches....

 

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Lots of finger prints. Could you see those in the images before you bought it?

 

Two points for the finger prints=body bag would be my guess but I've been wrong plenty of times!

 

OMG, that is awful. Elvis said it best, "return to sender" with all due haste.

 

That’s a shame... because that is (was) some sweet frost and cameo.

 

All I see is fingerprints. Return it if you can, if I was stuck with it I wouldn't be able to resist dipping it to see what happens. Probably wouldn't totally take the prints off though.

 

Honestly, I won't do it. I won't coddle you, I won't be gentle. I'll tell you the honest truth about your coin. If you want people to be gentle, then I suggest:

If you want an opinion on your coin, you want me to be honest whether you like it or not.

Your coin does not look like it was cleaned from those pictures. It does look like it has a significant number of fingerprints - but they look old. I don't think the auction house had anything to do with that - those look decades old.

I'll admit, I hate fingerprints on my coins. They are an instant turn-off for me. I don't but coins with fingerprints. However, most auction houses won't accept returns - once you've bought it, it's yours (unless it turns out to be counterfeit.) The fields are prooflike, and the fingerprints have done irreparable damage to the fields.

So, unfortunately, I think you're stuck with it, but it doesn't look cleaned.

 

does acetone have any affect on fingerprints?

 

Far too late for that.

 

That reminds me of a DMPL morgan dollar that my parents gave to me for christmas once upon a time. They taped it to a Christmas card.

 

Yeah, too old for acetone MAYBE, but it wouldn't hurt to try! Another treatment that might give good results is MS70 or a solution of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide which can eradicate lots of organic stuff. Whatever you do (returning it is best bet) just don't rub or scrub on it.

 

I agree that the prints look really old. If I were stuck with this coin I would ask someone like @Insider if he feels the coin can be helped before doing anything.
I know what I would try but my skills are not up to what can be done today.

 

Too far gone. If they (fingerprints) had been caught early, the acetone may have been effective, but not at this late date. They're etched into the coin........

 

Dang Shame was a nice frosty before prints, I have a couple no frosty's but even still with 8.7 mil mintage save your grading fees and return to sender if possible. Crying shame!

 

Interesting to learn!

 

I didn't know that.

 

What? We agree on something? Haha

The arguable exception to this would be if the fingerprints had actually started to cause etching/corrosion into the surface of the coin. I have no idea if that's the case here on this coin, but I think we can agree if there was surface etching, it might deserve a details grade.