Found 1921 Mercury....could use some help

So I metal detect. Usually I find junk. Today I found a 1921 Merc in great shape. Can anyone tell me what I found. I know it a key date, but I'm not sure of where it falls in the grade scale. The pics are crappy, and it looks better then it appears in the photos. The large scratch is on the plastic.

Thanks for any info.
Mike

 

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Looks like it has some rim problems on obverse from pics. Still has lots of detail though. Also see some hairlines in reverse. Would liketo see it in hand before grading further. May only go VF30 with all else taken into account.

 

looks XF to me, may be downgraded based on possible evidence of the method you used to clean it up.

GREAT find!

 

I agree with whoopig but not sure of damage to rim, if any.

however, his VF 30 is more than generous.

 

I did not clean it...just washed it with water to get the dirt off......

 

Look to the left of motto and on end of Liberty where rim is worn.

 

You didn't rub it did you?

XF looks about alright...

Speedy

 

Nope no rubbing. This thing sat in the ground for a while.

 

You found it and its still that nice?

 

I have to agree with Whoopig on the rim damage, but I'm not sure VF30 isn't still a little generous. From the picture it appears that the damage extends into the word "WE". I'd also like a closer look at the rim on the reverse, above the second "T" in "STATES". That doesn't seem to be on the other side of the obverse rim damage.

 

Whay I know is that when my hands are dirty and I "wash them with water to get the dirt off" that is by definition "cleaning" them. The same goes for coins, washing with water is cleaning. That said, I was very careful in my first post to say it could be downgraded for "possible evidence of the method you used to clean it up" meaning that if you didn't rub it at all and it shows no evidence of being cleaned it may not be downgraded for cleaning.

 

Running under water is still cleaning.

I'd say VF.

 

Heh, judging by the fact that it was found via metal detector, here's a computer simulation of what it may have looked like uncleaned:

 

Splitting grading hairs put aside, nice find. A quick ebay check shows them going for $75+ with far less detail than yours.

 

Ok....so its considered cleaned. That does not bother me.

What would you guys have done. It was not in shoe box, or in an ebvelope in the attic. It was burried. If you brushed it off it would have turned the dirt in to an abrasive mass and turned the coin to scratched up piece of crap. The dirt dry or wet would have scratched the crap out of it and that would be worse. Running it under water removed the dirt with out scratching it.

Is there a better way. Or should I put it into a protector caked with dirt and scratch it that way.....Just wondering.

Thanks
Mike

 

Hey MikeM, just remeber that old saying about opinions being like armpits....specially when you ask for them

 

Hey I appreciate all the info. That is why I asked. The next one I get I will not "clean".....

BUT... no one has told me what I should have done with this dug coin....

 

Hey no need to take offence. I wasn't criticising, i was just pointing out that technically it is cleaned although you know that might not show up.

Now as i deal in medieval coins i find it quite normal to encounter coins that have been dug up all the time and cleaned up for identification purposes which is necessary lets face it, i have several coins of this nature in my collection. So to me dug up and rinsed coins are no biggie, i can certainly live with it, no probs.

What i can say is you got a good find there nonetheless, you did good! I wish i could find coins in such good shape.

 

Soaking a dug coin in water is a perfectly acceptable means of removing dirt/debris. Taking care NOT to rub, is solid advice too.

Personally, I'd like for someone to look at ANY coin I provide and have them tell me wheter or not its ever come in contact with water. Can't be done. And if THAT counts as cleaned, so be it. Its a technically correct statement. But you might as well say that EVERY coin is damaged? Why? simply because they, or someone else, breathed on it or near it. Last I knew, the US Mint doesn't produce coins in a sterile contaminent safe room immediately sealing each coin in a sterilized contaminent free airtight cointainer.

Like I said before, sweet find. Its finds like this that keep us detectorist going

 

I would have placed the coin in Acetone for a few min. and then placed the coin under running water...

But just to be fair I would have marked it cleaned no matter what I did to it...

Speedy