I bought a cleaned coin and I still like it?

I bought this coin from my local dealer for about $80. It's strike was so sharp (the 20's dies are notoriously mushy). It has the "halo" effect which is lack of cartwheel luster. Luster looks like a halo/circular vs cartwheel. I have been reading about this. When coins are made the metal flows into the recesses of the dies. The dies are not flat but more like rolling hills on a microscopic level. The reflected image of light causes this cartwheel effect (opposing light like a kid doing a cartwheel anyone unfamilar can rotate a MS Morgan dollar under a direct light source and you will understand). Once a coin has been overdipped the face of the coin flattens out and the reflection becomes circular. I looked up the ANA defintion of grading and Luster is part of the criteria all the way down to EF grades. I assume that means cartwheel luster. I know market grading allows for dipped coins which have retoned nicely, or are otherwise problematic but market acceptable to be graded by the TPG's. All that being said should I send this in? There is some cartwheel luster on the reverse. I think this coin is so attractive it my be graded based on the above. Any thoughts from the experts? :goofer:

 

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here is a thought over 90% of the worlds coins have been cleaned at one time or another. enjoy your purchase

 

I think that figure might be a tad high....

 

I dont...if you think about older coins compared to newer coins that were minted after the relatively new aversion towards cleaning...I think probably the lions share of world coins have been cleaned. I think most coin minted before a certain date that entered collections have been cleaned in some way.

 

What is the reason you want to have the coin graded?

If you paid $80 for the coin, do you really want to spend another $25 on certification? That turns it into a $105 coin.

 

From your photos I do not think it has been cleaned. Remember there are 2 sets of grading criteria - one for everything else but copper and 1 for copper. Copper is very, very hard to learn. Combine the numbers of coins stuck with the thousands of dies needed each year to strike them, that copper is the most reactive metal we have for coins you have a very hard and difficult subject to get a grip on. The only way to do this is to look at thousands of coins from every era and in every type condition there is.
Your coin looks good enough to me even if it had been treated it looks good. Plus I would not have it graded and leave it has is.
I firmly believe that third party grading has hurt this hobby and will someday be but a little footnote in numismatic history and a sad one at that - buy the coin not the slab and crack out as many as you humanly can in your numismatic lifetime.
Ben Peters

 

Try sending it to DGS if you are worried about the cleaning. I think they will slab it instead of body bagging it.

 

Nice coin - or you could try ANACs.

 

What are you trying to accomplish? If you even suspect that it has been cleaned, do you really think NCG or PCGS would slab it? You might think of trying NCS. Depending on just what you have, they might be able to get it slabbed for you i.e a NGC slab.

 

RLM and Others:
I have an NGC registry set and since I have a majority (over 95%) in mostly higher grades my goal is to have a completed registry set of either NGC or PCGS. Most of my coins are raw and I am trying to slowly send them in to PCGS and NGC currently. I don't like ANACS slabs and their reputation seems to have worsened of late. I like slabbed coins for protection (none of my coins have turned in the slabs), the higher resale value, acknowledgement by the "experts" (a business or not they know a lot more than I do), authentification (no fakes please), and I like the look of my coins in slabs- they are high end picture frames. Of late I have mixed feelings about NCS. I sent several coins in that they fixed and several they worsened. If this coin was cleaned they can't fix it anyway- just my thoughts

 

I was thinking the same thing

 

This coin in Coin Values list retail at about $250 for 63) and next jump is $500 for 64 (haven't looked at other index's) but either way if this coin grade 63 or up I would have made a good move in buying (would not sell though).

 

Nice coin. What matters the most is that you like it.

 

Yes Harry I love this coin! One of my favorites. I light of people's responses I will send to PCGS. $20 through my dealer so I'll take the chance. I will post the results when I get it back.

 

Good luck!!!!!!!!

 

Awesome. I will submit this week. I will post results. Appreciate everybodies feedback. Changed my user name, BTW, sorry for any confusion. I've been called "Boss" for the last 10 years at two different jobs by eveybody so it seemed more fitting (no arrogance in that name)- it's also my name at NGC.

 

:thumb: :thumb: That is one heck of strike for a 20-S. Congrats!!! :thumb: :thumb:

Phoenix

 

I don't think so that;s pretty high I would say maybe 30 percent, and proof coins are never cleaned I would say by the first and second on the obverse it looks like it got a lite polish job now that's the first pic and second pic I'm going by
Jazz