This is a picture of an 1885-S $10 DOLLAR GOLD LIBERTY. It has been cleaned. My question is, can you guys tell that it has been cleaned just by looking at this picture and if so how?
Hi I ran the coin thru the color spectrum,,I do not see any hair lines ,,if the coin was cleaned ,,what method or chemical was used ? I went ahead and enlarged the pic, The coin looks a bit pitted, with XF details in my opinion, if the coin was chemically dipped , I would say it was over dipped by quite a bit . Rick
In a non-gold coin it's just about impossible to tell whether pitting is a chemical reaction to some kind of dip - or overdip - or some other form of environmental damage. Since gold doesn't ordinarily suffer environmental damage - even acid rain lacks the strength and combination of acids forming aqua regia - the pitting is an indication of some kind of physical abuse. Polishing or cleaning with a brush or cloth, etc., is doubtful IMHO due to lack of hairlines, and color identity for the open fields, the interior of letters in the legends, and the legend and design elements themselves. Which leaves ???????
Well it won't be aqua regia! If it was you'd have no coin left. Salt water? Don't coins from wrecks sometimes come out a bit pitted and waterworn? I can't think of much that would do that much to gold, aqqua regia is one and mercury is the other and to be frank it's neither.
maybe excessive contact from loose storage? Is it possible that it was a dug coin that was rinsed and soaked instead of scrubbed?
Thanks much to everyone. I don't know the method of cleaning. It is advertised as AU-58 Cleaned for $240.00. As Roy said, there is a lack of hairlines so I was trying to figure out how it was cleaned. With the enlarged pic, now I see the pitting. I was thinking bag marks at first. I learn something new everyday. Thanks again.
no this is the only pic. it's from an internet site i had found. Page 5 from a search on google. Only posting the one pic and not both sides made me very suspicious so i was thinking the reverse is the side with the cleaning damage. Either way, definetly not go to buy this one just going to use it to help spot the ones that have been cleaned and are not advertised as such.
GDJMSP... Are you thinking a cast copy?? my first look at it and that is what poped into my mind...the air holes that show up under the metal look funny....and to me the face looks funny.... Speedy
