What would cause these spots?

Without spots what would it have graded? (If you can tell with these pics)
Sorry, pics came out worse than I thought they would..

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

"What would cause these spots?"

Anyone's guess on that coin. But spots on coins are often caused simply by people breathing on them usually talking while looking at the coin and saliva gets on the coin...or moisture/something on the hands when handling the coin gets on the coin. The saliva or stuff on the hands lays on the metal for some years and eventually slightly corrodes the surface and causes the spot.

 

That's what my screen looks like when someone cracks a funny and I snort coffee on it.

 

Possibly dip residue from being insufficiently rinsed?

 

Yeah, it looks like dip residue...........

 

So I might be able to dip this coin and get rid of the spots? And in fact raise the value of the coin.

 

It's possible, but keep in mind that dip is acid which literally eats a layer of metal off the coin. A given coin can only stand so many seconds in thiourea before it is ruined forever. That total is cumulative over a coin's lifetime, and you don't know if it's been dipped before....

 

I know the pics are not the best, but any guess on your part if it has been dipped or any tell tail signs I might look for?

 

N

No way of knowing. Done right, dipping is undetectable except possibly with a chemical sniffer - it does not detectably alter the expected appearance of a coin until it's too late.

 

If it was dip residue to this degree, wouldn't it be on both sides of the coin?

It appears to me, that the coin was already dipped before, of course with the hope of the spots going away, which didn't work. I'd say that even if you could remove the dark color of the spots, it would still leave some sort of indentation rough mark on the coin. So trying to remove the spots, even if successful, is not going to raise the value of this coin to any degree worth the effort.

I'd leave the coin alone, as an interesting conversation piece.

 

That's a '46 Philly, right Cooper? There were over 700,000 produced according to Redbook. Swiatek (Encyclopedia of US Commems) indicates that 1,000,000 were minted with 500,000 melted for a net mintage of 500,000. Either way, this particular issue is not rare. Put that coin in some acetone for a day or two and see what happens. In the meantime, be on the lookout for a better specimen........they are out there in abundance.

 

Dipping has a cumulative effect. Every time you dip, a little bit of the coin is stripped away. Where the toning is heavier, more of the coin is stripped away. As this happens the luster is lost, as the luster is created by the microscopic grooves in the coin's surface that come from metal flow and die wear. I'd illustrate this by first drawing a saw-tooth wave (a bunch of Ws stuck together), representing a cross-section of the metal flow that gives the luster. Next, to simulate dipping knock the tips off the peaks of the saw-tooth wave. Flatter peaks and shallower troughs mean flatter luster. If there is a lot of toning, you're knocking down more of the peaks. The obverse of your coin already looks dipped, splotches notwithstanding. Dip it again and you'll lose the negative eye appeal from the toning, but also more of the luster.

 

I'd try a vinyl eraser on a spot.

 

Actually it's a "46 Booker T. Washington and I was trying for the set? Of course this is the one they mint the most of minus any melt.

I'm not sure I know what kind of "vinyl eraser" your talking about?

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0027ZF97A/ref=pd_aw_sim_229_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CR7KHQ3C9N0PS7HS271

 

I've used them with remarkable results on what some call carbon spots on silver. Don't use a rubber eraser though, it has pumice in it.

 

Of course....that's what I meant. A complete set is surely attainable. And in high grade too. Choose the best coin that you can afford. '65's come a little more pricey. Lesser grades, not so much. When you're an old curmudgeon like me you only want '65's or '66's with this series. Enjoy the hunt, and above all, have fun.

 

No way. An abrasive is an abrasive and will ruin the coin a lot quicker than a dip.

 

They aren't abrasive.