DOES THE FORUM AGREE ? The removal of RED WAX An advert from an American/European grading service shows where there is RED WAX they remove it, this has the effect of immediately removing an identifiable link of the coin to a past sale. The small red wax was the identifier – it was an important and it was part of an incredible story going back to 1644 and changed the provenance. · The wax is from a cast taken to illustrate the coin in the first half of the last century or possibly even earlier. · Sometimes that wax can be identified from the images in the catalogue and so a provenance established for the coin. · That provenance could potentially greatly enhance the value of the coin in question as it may well provide links going back to the 19th or even the 18th century depending on the previous owner(s). · The presence of wax is the only indicator with the coin in hand that it was illustrated in the past and so enhances the chances of finding it in a past catalogue. · The continued presence of wax is important as one of the main pieces of evidence we have regarding a coin’s past and by extension its authenticity. · Retaining wax will show the expertise of the grading company in assigning the correct provenance where possible and further shows that grading company appreciates its significance.
This was already posted about before I believe, https://www.cointalk.com/threads/th...story-going-back-to-1644.276764/#post-2384585 In fact checking the other thread found via search apparently it was also posted by you OP and is a pretty much identical thread to this one...
I'm not really following this post. If you're concerned about a small dot of wax being removed, don't send it in for conservation. Or, call the company beforehand and see of they can leave this dot in place. If it's just a dot of wax, it doesn't really establish anything since such a dot can be added very easily to a coin
Why is the wax so important, compared to any other surface marks, toning patterns, or other identifying features? I'd rather not have foreign material attached to my coins, honestly.
This is a question like which twin to kill. Both sides have good points. While the dot of red wax may make future pedigree tracing slightly slower, the marks on the coin and its shape will confirm the ID easily. No one should argue that the eye will be drawn first to the red blob (detracting) so removal will make the coin more attractive overall. Since the wax is an inert imperfection, leaving it on will not hurt the coin's surface. Furthermore, it provides a nice story. If I know the story: Keep it on. If I were ignorant of the coin's past: Remove it. Now, off to "Google" the American/European Grading Service
