Hello I recently have been going through some things at my house and stumbled on these, I forgot they were there but remembered that they were fairly valuable. This one was made into a necklace and I'm curious what this may do to its value. Is it worth getting graded after this?
That type of mount looks as if it is the kind that has a suspension ring that unscrews to release the coin, see the tiny crack below the suspension. If you unscrew it the mount should come apart slightly leaving the coin undamaged apart from whatever wear it go while being a pendant. On looking again at the largest type of picture, there may be a pin through the tube under the loop that could be driven out to release the joint of the mount. In any case it does appear to be the type of mount that holds without damaging by simply being closed around the coin. Careful inspection in hand should show how it releases.
It should drive out fairly easily with a needle with the tip filed flat or similar improvised tool. It may be a taper pin, one side may show signs of being peened over, that would be the narrower end. I'd devise a method of holding the coin and mount in a small vice without damaging it while working on it. Or you could let someone else have a bash at it, but they may be less careful with the coin. You could simply file that part off the mount completely, this would release the coin with no danger of filing the coin. The amount of gold you would turn into gold filings would probably be worth less than you'd pay for a more conservative removal
The grading services are pretty good at recognizing the tell-tale marks left on the rim of a coin by a jewelry mount. It is even easier for them when the coin is made of gold. I had a similar experience with a couple of bronze medals, and I actually had to use my stereomicroscope to spot the marks which, by the way, do not have to encircle the entire rim. Good luck! Chris
