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Message:: [QUOTE="RonSanderson, post: 4543663, member: 77413"]I am as surprised as anybody. The coin arrived in a plastic flip, and the plastic had time to form an impression of the coin’s outline. So I expected that it had been in that plastic for a while. That would imply that the fingerprints were not very fresh. And that often implies that something in the fingerprint has had time to react with the surface of the coin. Once that happens, of course, rinsing away the organic part of the smearing cannot repair the damage done to the surface. In this case it worked out well. The before and after pictures are accurate to what I see in hand. I don’t see any hints of the oily-looking mess that was smeared all over the back. The obverse was also improved. The coin is more reflective so the highlights are brighter and the dark areas blacker. Here's the whole thing - undamaged as far as I can tell. I tried to recreate the exact lighting conditions. The front is harder to see because of the lighting, but compare above and around the date and under the bust. All the surfaces (even inside the letters!) have been revealed from under a layer of gunk. As I said, I am quite surprised. Before [ATTACH=full]1124939[/ATTACH] After [ATTACH=full]1124940[/ATTACH] [/QUOTE]