I've recently purchased the PF shield nickel below. Can NGC do anything about the black spot on the top right portion of the shield obverse? What would you grade it currently?
The Spot: Unless it's debris (like dirt) or gunk (like PVC goo) they won't do anything about it. The Grade: Looks like it's already in a slab, therefore graded.
I meant to ask if NCS could do anything about it. It's currenlty in a NGC slab and looks over graded to me. I have a few days to return the coin, but sending it to NCS for conservation would cost a little less. This is why i was asking for opinions. Here is an upclose of the spot.
They might if you sent it to NCS and ask them to conserve it for you but I'd leave it alone as it's a beautiful coin as is . rzage
It does sort of look like gunk or something , I think there's a good chance NCS will remove it if sent in . rzage
I actually really like the new slabs. Something that has bothered me about the old NGC slabs was the coin was slanted (top of the coin closer to back, bottom closer to front) in the holders. The new prong style prevents this. I would like to see the prongs made of clear plastic. I've just spent some time searching for other coins for this date in this grade and they all have worse flaws and less eye appeal (in my opinion). With that said, i've decided to keep the coin and spend my money completing the set. Thanks everyone for your input.
I would think it would be obvious. First of all the coin has subdued luster. Black gunk like that doesn't just appear on a coin - it takes time. And it doesn't just occur in isolated spots. And since there is small amounts of black gunk in a few other places on the coin, like the date and WE, it makes sense that the coin has been conserved already. The black gunk that remains is just the stuff that did not come off.
You make several good points. I should have payed more attention to details. Here is the photo i used when bidding.
I wasn't trying to knock your coin - I was trying to prevent you from doing something that would probably end up being a mistake.
Gee...I don't see much detracting from the coin. Is it in a PF-66 holder? That number looks reasonable to me. And yes, I would personally send it to NCS if you're worried about the black stuff. And, not that it's the point of this thread, but I love the new NGC holders. I don't feel I can grade a coin accurately, nor determine authenticity, unless I can see the edge.
Apparently you disagree with my opinion that the coin has already been conserved by NCS. Or would you send it again anyway ?
I don't necessarily disagree that it has already been to NCS. On a coin of this value, though, I can't imagine that someone went through all the expense of sending it to NCS, and then cracking it out and sending it to NGC again. If I knew it had already been sent, I definitely wouldn't send it again. In fact, with the new knowledge that this is in a PF-63 holder, I might not even bother to send it at all. Just sell it on Teletrade and buy a problem-free coin.
Yeah, the 66 number was just a shot in the dark. I couldn't see anything major to detract from the coin, but the pics weren't clear enough to detect the fine scratches, etc., that would detract from a proof grade.
You don't have to crack it out. If you send a coin to NCS for conseravtion they will do the work and then have NGC slab it. With that scenario it's never slabbed by NCS in the first place. And that is the most common way it is done.
From the close up picture, the spot appears to be a piece of gunk raised above the coin's surface. It looks like dirt rather than corrosion. What I would do, since I'm no fan of slabs, is break it out and use a rose thorn to pick the gunk off. It could always be re-slabbed if you need it to be.