Anybody else ever seen this ? I thought this was copper spotting when I first saw it. Then I looked at it under an 8x lens and saw it's on the surface of the coin or between the coin and the slab. But it's tough to photograph because it's 3-dimensional. But you can see it in these photos: That 3rd photo doesn't show the black spots as clearly but shows you the area it covers with a cloudy film-like cover. Any ideas what it could be ? Could they have sealed in dirt ? Could dirt have gotten in ? Is it copper spotting that accumulated over the last 25 years or so (it's an OGH from 1995-98) ? I'm not so concerned with the dirt/spots as I am curious. I bought this coin as a substitute for bullion. Would PCGS open this up, get the dirt out, and re-seal it ?
I think it's harmless. Black dirt which falls apart over the time. And no, PCGS will not change the slab without beeing payed for their job.
It's plain old ordinary dirt and grime - on the coin. And it's completely normal and it got there long before the coin was ever slabbed.
A coin with DIRT on it graded a 63 ? Wouldn't it fall off...wouldn't they blow it off with an air can ?
I'll guess that the grader saw the spots but felt they were too minor/small to warrant having the coin cleaned up. He just gave it a straight grade and sent it down the line. With some coins, the service will contact the customer and offer to clean up the problem. I believe the grader makes that call.
Yup, happens quite a lot actually. Your comment seems to indicate that you think the dirt is just sitting there on the surface of the coin as if it fell onto the coin like crumbs or something. And if it was just sitting there yeah it would fall off. But since it didn't fall off while the coin was being handled, for grading if nothing else, then rather obviously the dirt and grime isn't just sitting there on the surface - it's stuck to the coin. Let me ask you a question, if you get a coin in change and it's got dirt and grime on it, does that dirt just fall off the coin, can you blow it off even with canned air ? The answer of course is no you can't - because it's stuck to the coin. You can get it off if you clean the coin, but that's the only way it's gonna come off. And yeah, I realize your line of thinking is predicated on the coin being graded MS, and that an MS coin can't have or at least shouldn't have dirt and grime on it. Of course now if the coin wasn't MS at all, then having dirt and grime on it wouldn't be at all unusual now would it ? And that's the thing, the coin isn't MS - it's AU. Even with the limited pics you posted you can see that there's light wear on the wing tips and some of the letters. So the coin having some dirt and grime on it is perfectly natural.
Thanks Guys.....the particles are just so big relative to the size and surface of the coin, you just assume it would come off easy or fall off with 1 or 2 squirts of an air can. Maybe the grader was eating an Oreo cookie when he looked at the coin and then it got sealed up with some crumbs ? Like I said, I'm not gonna worry about it. More curious than anything.
Maybe I should get another label.... 1915-S...MS63.....UNCLEANED, WITH OREO CRUMBS !! Might increase my coin value more than CAC !
I was going to say that, Doug beat me to channeling Doug! Well, the real thing is always better anyhow.
Doesn't canned air does contain contaminants that may be harmful to coins? Air from compressor does have oil in it and should never be used. Why wouldn't a TPG take the initiative to just do a little bit of cleaning prior to placing the coins in the slab, after all they're the last ones to handle it. I have a slab with a piece of fuz in it that is just plain annoying and shouldn't have been left in it prior to sending it out. I wouldn't consider it conservation and an added cost to do a better job to help the customers which should be in their job description to begin with.
Doesn't need to be cleaned, just shaken. Like a James Bond martini. Again, if you look at the pics -- it is tough to see -- the black particles are largely between the coin and the slab plastic. They're "floating" in the space between the 2 surfaces. I'd say 15-20 of them, that's why it surprised me. 1 or 2 I could see slipping through.
As long as one holds the can upright, nothing comes out but air. Now if ya tilt the can or hold it sideways, then yeah a bit of liquid can come out - and you don't want that. But hold it upright and you're good to go.
Just dirt, black spots. A C coin in my view but not a details. Be careful picking them out use a glass.
