What or how is a coin whized? How does it affect the value of a coin? I ask, because, I hear this term used about the description or details of coins posted. 213sarah?
Hi Sarah, "whizzed" means that the coin was mechanically cleaned with a tool like a dermel or something of that sort. They are usually pretty easy to recognize because there a lots of parallel scratches all running in the same direction on the surface of the coin. Hope this helps! Mark in NJ
A person would whiz a coin to imitate luster. If you whiz it it will appear to an inexperienced collector the coin surface has the pop like luster gives it. This was commonly done on overcleaned, damaged coin to try to sell for a higher price. Whizzing is classified as damage, and will prevent it from being slabbed and seriously degrades its value.
Never said worthless, just impairs the value if it is whizzed. Look at the coin under the light with a glass, and see if you see tiny scratches all going the same direction. That is whizzing. I cannot tell from the photo for sure if that coin is whizzed.
Under 60X mag. & light NO! vertical or horizonatal scratches, just too much shine for a coin of this rarenous!
Hi Sarah, Take a look at the microscopic view of lustre in this post to see how the flow lines are radially oriented in the fields ( move generally from the center to the edge). These flow lines give what is called lustre as well as the "wagon wheel" effect when tilting the coin. These ridges wear down and lustre decreases. http://www.cointalk.com/t126215/ Whizzing is a means of artificially producing a similar surface by scratching lines so there is a raised and lower level, that reflects light. The previous difficulty with this is that most attempts produce lines in a circumference direction such as by a rotating tool as mentioned, or if done by a reciprocating tool or by hand ,across the coin. With flow lines , they originate at the edge of the devices on the coin and cross the fields. Whizzing generally either go over the devices ( easier to detect), or piles metal up on the edge of the device or they gap away form the devices. Luster in general does none of these. However, skill of whizzing may make it difficult for beginners to detect, but most of the success was in earlier times, when not as much emphasis was put on coin surfaces as today. Today, also tools have improved, and there are rumors of computer driven. variable strength lasers, that can score the surface, skipping raised areas, and be even more difficult to detect. I think PCGS states someplace they can detect it on their high value services. IMO. Jim
I have always considered 'whizzed' to be a numismatic term meaning 'polished'. I have seen polished coins, and even if you use very fine polish that leaves little to no swirl marks, the polish will always remove details.
This was actualy a really nice whiz job at one time. Over the years the color changed. You can really tell where the coin was worked on the most. I actually watched the coin change over the years. I'll get better images when possible. These were taken with a point and shoot.
Well, that's kind of the problem. People tend to have their own personal definitions or understandings for things, but those personal definitions are almost always wrong. As a result of that there are lot of coins that are described as "whizzed" that are no more whizzed than a coin fresh from the coin presses is. Polished coins are not whizzed, harshly cleaned coins are not whizzed, scratched coins (many scratches close together) are not whizzed. Whizzing has a very clear and explicit definition, and nothing other than that explicit definition applies. A coin can be whizzed in only one way. A mechanical tool with a very fine wire brush or wheel operating at a high rate of speed must be used on the surface of the coin. Most of the time the brush/wheel will only be used on the fields. That is why one of the tell tale signs of whizzing is piled up metal where the fields meet the devices, as described by desertgem. But sometimes it will be used on the entire surface of the coin, including the devices. And, when a coin has been whizzed by somebody that knows what they are doing, the average person will be unable to detect it. That's why the process is used to begin with. Of course there are botched jobs, done by people who do not know what they are doing and these are easily detected by almost anybody. But even coins that were whizzed by the best have a certain, disticntive look to the trained eye. For while the whizzing simulates luster, it does not replicate luster. The look is entirely different and if a whizzed coin were viewed side by side with a coin that does have luster that difference becomes evident. Whizzing merely reflects the light in a blury manner and there will be no cartwheel, where luster reflects the light in a sharp and consistent manner and the cartwheel effect is plainly evident. The keys to recognizing a whizzed coin are pretty simple. The first and easiest is the lack of the cartwheel effect, a whizzed coin will never have it. The next easiest to see, but magnification must almost always be used, is the piled up metal against the edges of the devices, lettering, and numerals. The next, and perhaps hardest to see and again with magnification, is the presence of very, very fine lines all running in a parallel and straight direction. There will be no swirls or crossing of lines if the whizzing is done correctly and they will cover pretty much the entire surface of the fields. The only areas that will not have these lines, and this is another tell tale, are the protected areas inside the lettering or numerals; like inside the loop of a 9, a 6, or an 8. In far fewer cases, as I mentioned before, the fine lines will cover the devices as well. And last but not least is that a whizzed coin has a "certain look" to it. Those who are familiar with this look will see it almost immediately while those who are not familiar will never see it.
To me whizzing and polishing are two different things. From the PCGS site on coin lingo: Whizzing - Term to describe the process of mechanically moving the metal of a lightly circulated coin to simulate luster. Usually accomplished by using a wire brush attachment on a high-speed drill. This Large Cent has been whizzed. Not the material that has accumulated along the sides of the numerals in the date, the star and the bust and hair of Liberty.
I pulled this jpg from I can't remember where back in 2006 of a whizzed 1932-D Washington. I think that with the misinterpretation of what whizzing is, many dealers will tell you your coin is whizzed just to get a cheaper price or to tell you it's worthless. Back in 1988 I encountered that when I was selling a put together roll of 1987-P Kennedy Halves which I'd pulled from mint sets. It's good that you are asking these questions. For your 22 plain Lincoln, I don;t think it looks whizzed as much as cleaned in some manner. Could be a dip or polish but the coin's color is unnatural. It still has value though, just not as much if it had been left alone.
That quarter is a good example of a very bad whizzing that even a novice should be able to see. But it shows many of the diagnostics.
Here's a couple that recently sold on Teletrade: 1885-CC Au details, whizzed 1885 AU details whizzed Note the smooth fields, very few if any bag marks.
