OK, how do you detect putty, tooling, etc on coins?

nwcs

The question was raised in another thread that we spend too much time about toning and not enough about things like coin doctors using putty, windex, tooling, etc. Now, I know only a small amount about these things, so I wanted to create a thread for those who do have some knowledge in this area to share some pointers for the rest of us.

Neil

braddick

Different types of lighting (even including black lights) are helpful along with magnification. Knowing the series and what the coin should look like without the alterations is suggested too.

For example, I doubt even a sophisticated tooling job would fool an expert, such as TDN, in the Trade dollar series. Shiroh can't be fooled either within that series.

Early copper experts, as another example, know what to look out for within their series.
Pick yours and then study the heck out of it.

nwcs

I know people have discussed using black lights, but I never heard anyone say what to expect to see (so that I would be motivated to run out and get one). What do you see with a black light that you won't see with a regular light?

Ronyahski

Putty on a coin is used to fill in a nick, mill mark, etc. usually on a focal point of the coin, such as the cheek. When I have seen coins that have been puttied, it is usually on only one mark where that one mark might make the difference in receiving a higher grade.

Although well done jobs can be very difficult to detect, they become more evident when the putty job turns a different color from the immediate surface of the coin after a period of time, sometimes after months.

Telltale signs can be seen with a 10x loupe or stronger. There may be a slight change in luster around the area of the mark, and the mark itself. The best way I can think of to describe how these sometimes look is to think of a tooth cavity that has been filled in with a white filling. You can barely make out a faint line around the outside edge of the mark, and the middle of the mark sometimes has a slightly different surface smoothness, maybe an ever so slight different color. It may also look like a planchet flake without as much of an indentation in the middle.

Of course a very very light added layer of AT on an already toned coin really makes it hard to spot putty.

Having been surprised after pulling coins out of the safe deposit after several months, only to see mysterious spots appear on a coin, I now inspect every one of my purchases with a 10x+ for signs of a coin doctor.

nwcs

What kind of materials are used for putty? I'm guessing that a quick rinse in acetone (for raw coins) would usually be of help?

braddick

I've heard of a solution of diluted bondo- but I don't know how successful that mixture would be and how long it would hold up under scrutiny.

keets

.........and a picture is worth a thousand words. what might prove especially helpful would be posting examples of known puttying, tooling, etc. i understand that would require an admission of having been fooled since you'd need the coin in hand, but it would be helpful nonetheless.

at a recent coin club auction there were 3 suspect coins. as we less informed members were previewing the lots and remarking that they looked odd, two experienced dealers had already decided that they would say something when the lots came up, which they did and the lots were subsequently pulled out. one buffalo had been plated somehow, an IHC had been recolored and a barber dime had some tooling done to it. though i didn't know what had been done i knew something wasn't right. these were explained to me to be amatuerish, but i guess doctors need to start somewhere. i wish they'd just leave coins as they are.

al h.

itsnotjustme

The only tooling I've seen in person was on a bust half dollar. The shoulder clasp had been punched in to make it appear higher grade. Key here was the wear on the rest of the coin was not proportional to how much of the clasp still showed. When I pointed this out to the dealer, he acted ignorant, and certainly did not closely examine the coin to see if he should right tooled on the holder. Coin was raw, and probbly F-15 to VF-20. The clasp detail would have indicated VF35.

braddick

Interestingly, most tooling isn't to add detail it is to smooth/remove damage.