Hi Folks, Does anybody know what causes these? It almost looks like a water stain or something. I heard the once referred to as a "milk" spot. If you have a otherwise beautiful coin with these spots on them, how would you grade it? Is the coin basically just silver then? Are these spots on the coins as they leave the mint or are the some sort of oxidation that occurs over time? Is there anyway to get rid of these spots? I will guess no, since I have tried about everything I know. Best Regards, - Hal
I will try to post some pics tomorrow. I first tried to wipe off, no dice. Then DIP and MS-70. I also tried Castille soap. I think these spots are in the metal somehow.
Because they have been cleaned, most of the numismatic value that they may have had, is gone. If I may offer some advice, I would recommend that you not try to clean coins. This, of course, is just my opinion, but I think you'll find that many share it with me. BTW, those spots aren't on the "sun" are they?
Yes, cleaning is bad, no disagreement. No, they are not on the sun but vary in location and severity. I would think that with these spots, there is probably no numismatic value to the coins anyway, so I might as well try to get them off. I am pretty certain they will not come off, so I am more curious as to what causes them and if they come from the mint this way. Best Regards, - Hal
The milk spots you mention are often found on ASE's. To the best of my knowledge - there is nothing that will remove them. Do they come from the mint that way ? In a way - yes. The spots are caused by the washing process the mint uses. Sometimes a bit of residue is left behind when the planchets are not rinsed properly or thoroughly. This residue in effect etches the metal which is why the spots cannot be removed.
Thank you for that info Doug! I have several of the ASE's with this affliction and now I know how they ended up that way.
GDJMSP is correct. The mint uses a few different and undisclosed chemicals to wash the planchets before they are struck into coins. These chemicals can sometimes leave telltale spots on the coins. The Silver Eagles are victim to this proceedure most often, but many silver proof sets will contain coins with this spotting. The mint states that they will not release the chemicals to the public as it is part of the coinage process. The spots will not effect the overall grade of the coin in most instances. Since this is a minting proceedure, it is included in the grading. Now it will keep the coin from hitting a 69 or 70 in a slab, but the odds of getting those grades are slim enough already. DON'T CLEAN YOUR COINS! Silver Eagles are collected by many as collector coins, instead of bullion coins. Why take away a few extra dollars over spots that appear on quite a few examples. Knock one dollar off for the spots and you still make money.
Thanks for all the info. That is encouraging news. Just so everyone knows what we are talking about, here is a link to a photo I took. Spotted Eagles The one on the right is horrible as you can see. The one on the left is not too bad, but has small spots on it. I don't remember if I tried to clean these particular ones or not. I have to be honest, with these coins, I could not tell any difference before or after cleaning. There was really nothing to clean. However, I am by no means an expert. I called a dealer who generally pays the top dollar for silver, and he told me these coins were junk (his exact words). He offered me $7.50 for them. Well, I would have to agree that the eagle on the right looks like junk. It is the worst of them. Thanks for all the help. This forum is a wealth of information. Best Regards, Hal
For the two coins you pictured - the one on the left appears to have what is called a milk spot or two. But I'm not so sure about the other. It appears to me that this coin was toned and then cleaning was attempted. So I think it must be one of those you tired to clean.
I can promise you, my actions did not do this to the coin. I have a few others just like it. These spots look just like the milk spots, only much worse. These coins were from the same roll. Well, doesn't really matter, the coin is a dog. Good thing it is made of silver and silver keeps going up. Best Regards, - Hal
No offense intended Hal - I take your word for it. It's just that I've never seen one that looks quite that way unless something was done to it. I thought it was the result of a bad dipping. An additional comment though - mainly for those who not be aware. Business strike ASE's can only be purchased directly from the Mint by 11 dealers. These dealers in turn sell them to the rest of the world. The significance of this is that even if you buy these coins in a Mint tube - that is no guarantee that the tubes were not opened and searched. There are a great many dealers and collectors alike who know that business strike ASE's when submitted to the grading companies and are returned with MS69 or MS70 grades sell for substantial premiums. Because of this - a tube, or roll, of BU ASE's may have been searched and picked over many times before it ends up in your hands. And it is not uncommon for some less scrupulous people to make up rolls of these coins that are of the worst quality. So it is highly possible - if not probable - that the coin in question is an example of this. Just my opinion.
Spotted Silver Eagles I wonder if anyone has contacted or ask the US Mint if they take returns or replacement for coins that come damaged from the mint. Not sure if your cost and trouble would warrant this procedure. The mint does however, have a return policy on the proof sets that I ordered from them. Jim
The mint does not take returns on BU Silver Eagles from collectors as they are not the buyers. The Eagle would have to be returned to the dealer from whom it was purchased.
Thanks for all the great info. I think I will try to sell a cull lot of Silver Eagles on Ebay and see what happens. Since I bought these a few months ago when silver was around $6.5, so if I can get spot I will make some money. I have found that "bad" coins do very well on Ebay. I run auctions for "Wounded Indians" and "Damaged and Obsolete US coins" and they always sell. This is a different story, but I curious to see what happens. Aroll of ASE's is in a totally different price bracket. Thanks again. - Hal
I have the same problem with my Silver Eagles: weird, white spots. I noticed them when I got home. I also paid way too much for them: between $8>$10 a piece when silver was spoting around $5>$5.50! Although I think these coins are well designed, they have been a disapointment to me.
I just recently aquired some old "Handbook of US Coins" by Yeoman. I was looking through the 1961 edition and it said the following in their "How a Proof Coin Is Made" section: "Metal blanks are carefully selected. Those without scratches or other imperfections are washed with a solution of Cream of Tartar. After rinsing in water they are dipped in alcohol." Of course, I am not sure if this is currently what they do, but I found it interesting. Best Regards, - Hal
There is an interesting article in April 12th edition of CoinWorld that describes the production of proof coinage. They don't go into as much detail about the planchets as they do the dies, but still great reading.
