Hello, I found 5 decent Mercs that I am wondering about the grade and value. I have tried to grade them (via PCGS photo grade) and would like to see how close I come to accurately grading them. There are 5 more after this batch. Thank you all, in advance, for your input.
The first and last look stronger than XF40...at least XF45 (imo). Those are some nice dates that should do well over time. I'm sure others will disagree (perhaps strongly), but I don't like unpleasant tarnish on the coins. I soak coins like that in a diluted solution of white distilled vinegar. That can ease off most of the grime. I've sent a number of "cleaned up" coins to NGC and PCGS...and haven't had one body-bagged, yet. I wouldn't recommend anything harsher than that, though.
Well, I did think that the 27S, 27D, and 25S were XF40. I am happy that I am getting close to grading properly. Like you said, I think the 23S and 28D were higher, but I thought they could have been an AU50. What are you all seeing that keeps these two from being higher than XF? I am posting Part 2 with 5 more Mercs. Thanks.
Possibly, but I take points away for color and luster. That's why I suggested giving them a gentle vinegar bath. Try it with one and see how it looks...can't hurt.
I have got a batch (about a roll) of other Mercs that look pretty bad, that don't have the better dates that I will try the vinegar with.
NO NO NO! PLEASE don't soak these coins in acid, even a gentle acid like vinegar. Distilled water is fine, acetone is also fine, but not acid. (Vinegar isn't a strong acid, and coin silver isn't as chemically active as cupronickel. But get even a tiny bit of salt in the mix, like from your sweat, and you've got a mixture that will corrode almost any coin's surface.)
I meant to mention the first time I saw this thread -- please don't try to clean any of these coins yet. Nearly everything that people try for cleaning coins causes damage. It's hard to be sure from these photos, but some of these look like they might already have been cleaned long ago. If so, that reduces their value, but they're still worth quite a bit more than melt. These are all "better dates" and "better condition", as I'm sure you've already figured out.