I just got a roll of 1960-d small date cents. I was examining them and all of them have, to some extent, gray spots that look like little pieces of ash. Some of them have only a few but others are covered. Here is a photo of one of the worst. What is it? Corrosion? Can it be fixed? It really makes the coin look bad and, I am sure, decreases its value. Am I right?
That's verdigris or PVC contamination. Common with copper. It's nasty. There are treatments, like VerdiCare and acetone. But unless it's very recent it has probably damaged the coin. There is no fix. It's a shame, of course. But the presence of verdigris or PVC, or carbon spots, another bane of these coins, is so common that their absence, along with bag hits is what makes clean MS coins valuable. They're conditionally scarce! Lance.
I appreciate the information. You are right. It is a shame. The coins are in pretty nice shape otherwise.
