Going through a collection I will likely buy yesterday and came across this MD. Shocked me so much I dropped it when it came out of the roll. That doesn't happen often, I promise! Picked it up and turned it over. - Too bad, we will never know...
I know I'm gonna rile some feathers, but I would think an acid treated 1916-D would be more than the 1916 cull in that state.
You can always buy this one or make an offer at David Lawrence Auctions! I want to share this picture with you from Ebay (not mine) -
I have *not* tried this - ever, so don't quote me as doing it - or even having any sort of confidence in it. Merely an idea - and probably one to experiment with before using it on a coin you think has potential high value. The acid in the "gold and silver" test kits is designed to eat away anything that isn't silver. I believe it's nitric acid, I never bothered to look up the chemical makeup. I would think that a drop of it on top of the mint mark may eat away at the non-silver metals underneath - and if enough of the foundation of the mint mark exists, it may allow the other metal to melt away around it. And I would think that the silver would be eaten at a slower rate along with any soft metal that had been pushed around it. Otherwise the nitric acid (nic-a-date) would probably also work - although I would think much faster than it does on a nickel because of the metal hardness. I'm not a chemist, only someone that likes to experiment. I would encourage qualified chemists (and brave alchemists) to join in the discussion at this point - because my idea is purely theoretical. In a similar proverb of panning for gold - you simply pick up the pile of gold, and get rid of everything that isn't. I would recommend experimenting on a common date coin though. This would help you figure out concentration of acid and duration of reaction. It would be awful to see a "D" appear - and then disappear. I would test doing it in small increments. Acid for a few seconds, then wash in distilled water. Next extend a few seconds, etc... It may take some time. And please remember - safety first!
