Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;IdesOfMarch01, post: 4079977, member: 39084&quot;]The reason that there are so many different answers and opinions in this thread is due to the differing definitions each collector has about what, exactly, is &quot;tooling.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p>This topic has been discussed before on this site and my own personal definition that I posted in another thread is the one by which I still judge ancient coins:</p><p><br /></p><p><i>At some point the ancient coin ceased circulating. When it did, it had some circulation wear, scratches, etc., and this is the true condition of the coin. Lying undiscovered for centuries or millennia resulted in deposits, detritus, etc. coming into contact and adhering to the coin&#039;s surface. Removal of this additional material is what I consider smoothing, since it does not alter the coin&#039;s condition after it fell out of circulation. This is why, in general, smoothing is generally regarded as benign, and not as tooling.</i></p><p><br /></p><p>Another very succinct definition, pretty much the same as mine, was posted by lrbguy:</p><p><br /></p><p><i>Smoothing is the removal of accretions, including substances which may have chemically bonded with coin material at the surface. Patina is the metallic salt that forms at the surface of the coin, and consists partly of coin material and partly of outside chemicals. But accretions are added deposits and adhere to the surface from outside the coin itself. Clearing those off is what smoothing is about, whether in the fields or in the devices.</i></p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, these are theoretical definitions -- it&#039;s not possible to know the condition of the coin when it ceased circulating millennia ago (&quot;Hey, Macrinus, does this coin look tooled?&quot;&nbsp; &quot;Uh, hmm, Cassius, my 2,000 year old eyes are a little too weak to see if it is.&quot;).&nbsp; That&#039;s why I personally rely on the opinion of my dealer who will have inspected the coin <i>in hand</i> prior to providing his opinion about its condition.</p><p><br /></p><p>For me, smoothing according to my definition is acceptable in an ancient coin.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in