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<p>[QUOTE="IdesOfMarch01, post: 3211306, member: 39084"]The most benign definition of "smoothing" is that it's the removal of surface encrustations that were not originally part of the coin, but rather deposited on the coin after minting but prior to discovery. This type of smoothing is considered acceptable by most collectors, dealers, and auction houses.</p><p><br /></p><p>If a coin has become pitted due to burial or other destructive forces, more aggressive smoothing will make the coin's fields more even (flatter) by removing some of the coin's metal around the pitted areas. This type of smoothing, while common, is less acceptable to most collectors but in many cases doesn't affect the coin's saleability.</p><p><br /></p><p>My personal observation is that phrases like "some smoothing," "slightly smoothed," etc. are actually euphemisms for "tooled." From the above post, this coin (below) certainly appears to my eye to have been tooled in addition to smoothed:</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]833868[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The sharp edges around this coin's devices and reverse legend aren't just aggressive smoothing -- those edges probably weren't there when the coin was discovered -- and have been enhanced by "smoothing" the areas surrounding the devices and legends. </p><p><br /></p><p>To make a real judgment on the OP coin, it would be valuable to have a picture of it unencapsulated.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="IdesOfMarch01, post: 3211306, member: 39084"]The most benign definition of "smoothing" is that it's the removal of surface encrustations that were not originally part of the coin, but rather deposited on the coin after minting but prior to discovery. This type of smoothing is considered acceptable by most collectors, dealers, and auction houses. If a coin has become pitted due to burial or other destructive forces, more aggressive smoothing will make the coin's fields more even (flatter) by removing some of the coin's metal around the pitted areas. This type of smoothing, while common, is less acceptable to most collectors but in many cases doesn't affect the coin's saleability. My personal observation is that phrases like "some smoothing," "slightly smoothed," etc. are actually euphemisms for "tooled." From the above post, this coin (below) certainly appears to my eye to have been tooled in addition to smoothed: [ATTACH=full]833868[/ATTACH] The sharp edges around this coin's devices and reverse legend aren't just aggressive smoothing -- those edges probably weren't there when the coin was discovered -- and have been enhanced by "smoothing" the areas surrounding the devices and legends. To make a real judgment on the OP coin, it would be valuable to have a picture of it unencapsulated.[/QUOTE]
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