I'm not qualified to grade a coin because I don't know enough about it. The only way I would be able to come close would be to go to pcgs website and view their photograding page, which I just did. From the page I'd say maybe AU 53 or AU 55? But that is just from the obverse side because the site doesn't show memorial cents.
I would 8immediately send this coin to PCGS and if you decide to, by all means use "Economy Service" at $18! DO NOT send it in for variety attribution which charges an additional $20 since this is a "Heritage Variety" with its own 4 digit coin number. 1972 Doubled Die Obverse - Coin #2948 Once it is graded, you could then forward it to some other service for "specific" attribution but from my eye's and your latest photo's, it is definitely Die #1 so further attribution is really unnecessary.
I don't feel the coin is in good enough condition to justify sending it for grading. I was checking their fees, along with the shipping and insurance costs, and all told I feel as if those costs alone would be about what the coin is worth. If the coin is worth 50 dollars but it costs me 50 dollars total to get it graded, what would be the point?
Would it hurt it if I soaked it in distilled water for a few days? Would it achieve any kind of results? Would that be considered cleaning the coin and lowering whatever value it has? I'm not talking about scrubbing it or anything harsh. Just a soak. Thanks.
Huh? What? If you don't know what to do, don't bother asking and by all means, don't do anything to that coin. You coin is worth well north of $50 and the simple act of having it authenticated increases its liquidity and preserves it against any accidental damage. Either submit it or put it in a freaking 2z2 and be done with it.
"If you don't know what to do, don't bother asking" was the dumbest thing I've heard on here so far. I'll edit this. No need for you to get so cocky. I've probably been collecting coins since before you were born. I've never attempted to clean one. You were not born with the knowledge in your head, so stop acting like you were.
Very nice find.. I would blow the debris off it with a can of compressed air and put it in a 2x2. No cleaning of any kind.
I and T?? Are you talking about the Rev. in United? Don't see it in Cherry Pickers. Where is that Die Marker described?
Dumbest? I think soaking a perfectly good coin in "distilled water" ranks up there fairly high in the dumb scale. You might as well have asked if you should soak it in gasoline since you are obviously fishing for something to do to your coin. Nothing "needs" to be done other than authentication and possible slabbing. Why would you even think such a thing? Lastly, collecting coins since "before I was born" is no excuse for ignorance on how to properly clean a coin and in my opinion, the coin you found needs no cleaning, no soaking, no rubbing, at all. If anything, a light dusting blast with an ear syringe to remove contaminants. DO NOT use compressed air as it has "lubricants" which can add liquid contaminants to the surface. You have a perfectly good and valuable die variety which now needs authentication. As for "die markers"? I believe that @non-cents was a smidge incorrect on his reference to die markers in that they "never go disappear" because they most certainly DO disappear as the die is used which is why authenticators have "die stages". A scratch on Stage A might not be there on Stage C. Die Markers may not go away due to circulation wear, just die wear.
You DO know that distilled water is almost pure water, right? That coin is circulated. It's been wet many times over it's existence, I'm quite sure. I really don't think soaking it in distilled water will hurt it. It WILL remove any crud accumulated on it that you can't see in my pictures. It will NOT remove the tarnish.
I know that distilled water has almost zero impurities and as such, does not conduct electricity. BUT, it's still moisture and moisture hastens corrosion unless completely removed from the coin. The areas where devices meet fields are most susceptible. Acetone would be a better medium for "dissolving" any crud you might be seeing and it evaporates cleanly within seconds of exposure to air.
No, it does not. Get a 9V battery. Wire up a compatible light to the battery on the positive pole with extra wire after the light that has 1/2 of insulation stripped from it. A flashlight battery would work. Add a wire to the negative pole and strip 1/2 of insulation from the end. Get a bowl of tap water and a bowl of distilled water. Stick the open ends of the wires in the tap water bowl. The light will light up. Stick the open ends of the wires into the distilled water bowl. The light will NOT light up. Reasons. Tap water is filled with minerals which are actually what conducts the electricity. Distilled water does not have the necessary mineral to conduct the electricity. This is the PRIMARY reasons that distilled water is used in Steam Irons. To avoid electrocution when the water over flows the iron storage area as its being filled. I say this because this was a science experiment for my son in grade school and that year I learned that distilled water does NOT conduct electricity. I thought it did but was wrong. http://water.usgs.gov/edu/electrical-conductivity.html
