Got grades on free gradings!
DennisH
Posts: 13,988 ✭✭✭✭✭
Last month I finally asked for and got my 8 free gradings (two invoices good for 4 coins each) for my 1938-64 Jefferson nickel business strike and with varieties sets. I'd recently bought a group of 35 coins from what was supposed to be an original roll of 1939-S (it wasn't) and I wanted to learn about PCGS grading of Jeffs without spending sixteen bucks each in tuition.
So I called friend Larry over and we layed the coins out on my glass-top table. I insisted on sending the two reverse of '40 coins that were in the roll (they're what I was REALLY hoping to find), plus the 1939-D reverse of '40 that somehow got in there. Larry and I agreed there were 7 reverse of '38s that were the best of the bunch, so I decided to send in all 10 coins. (Two had to go on a regular 5-coin "I paid for it" Economy submission that probably won't be done until June.)
Results on the first invoice came back 3/16/04:
1 21513456 1939-D 5C Reverse of 1940 USA MS66
2 21513457 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1940 USA MS64
3 21513458 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1940 USA MS64
4 21513459 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1938 USA MS65
Results on the second invoice came back 3/23/04:
1 21513452 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1938 USA MS65
2 21513453 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1938 USA MS66
3 21513454 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1938 USA MS66
4 21513455 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1938 USA MS65
I honestly didn't know what to expect, since I'd never sent in a raw Jeff before. I can say, however, I'm not surprised by the 64s... and I'm thrilled by the 66s!
I consider my partial roll now paid for and then some. But I have 25 coins left, most of which have at least a few black carbon specks on them. If anybody has any advice on how to safely remove them, I'd love to hear from you.
So I called friend Larry over and we layed the coins out on my glass-top table. I insisted on sending the two reverse of '40 coins that were in the roll (they're what I was REALLY hoping to find), plus the 1939-D reverse of '40 that somehow got in there. Larry and I agreed there were 7 reverse of '38s that were the best of the bunch, so I decided to send in all 10 coins. (Two had to go on a regular 5-coin "I paid for it" Economy submission that probably won't be done until June.)
Results on the first invoice came back 3/16/04:
1 21513456 1939-D 5C Reverse of 1940 USA MS66
2 21513457 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1940 USA MS64
3 21513458 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1940 USA MS64
4 21513459 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1938 USA MS65
Results on the second invoice came back 3/23/04:
1 21513452 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1938 USA MS65
2 21513453 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1938 USA MS66
3 21513454 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1938 USA MS66
4 21513455 1939-S 5C Reverse of 1938 USA MS65
I honestly didn't know what to expect, since I'd never sent in a raw Jeff before. I can say, however, I'm not surprised by the 64s... and I'm thrilled by the 66s!
I consider my partial roll now paid for and then some. But I have 25 coins left, most of which have at least a few black carbon specks on them. If anybody has any advice on how to safely remove them, I'd love to hear from you.
When in doubt, don't.
0
Comments
<< <i>most of which have at least a few black carbon specks on them. If anybody has any advice on how to safely remove them, I'd love to hear from you. >>
If they are worth the $$, send them to NCS.
First POTD 9/19/05!!
The Ludlow Brilliant Collection (1938-64)
Morgan Dollar Aficionado & Vammer
Current Set: Morgan Hit List 40 VAM Set
regarding the spots, they are carbon deposits and almost certainly are attached to the coin's surfaces. they may be partially removed but not totally, there will always be at least a faint "shadow" visible. i suggest you pick out the very best coins from a grade standpoint and send them to NCS to see what they can do. that should only cost you about $25 or so.
you can also attempt to do it yourself by selecting the lowest grade coins, perhaps one or two, and seeing what results you get. if you need help in the procedure give me a PM. in the end, though, you may be left with some spotted coins you'll either have to live with or sell. doing it yourself will probably give results similar to what NCS accomplishes without the added cost, which seems to be what your looking to avoid. they are well worth a shot, though.
carbon spotting on Jeffersons seems to be a problem i encounter early in the series, pre-silver issue almost exclusively. it may have been the planchets/alloy mix and it may have been some type of wash the mint used or a storage issue. whatever it is caused by, we could sure live without it!!
edited to add the 1940. this picture is pre-dip by me after NCS refused to work on the holdered coin. i managed to greatly reduce the appearance of the spots, though they can still be seen, and the coin was subsequently holdered by NGC as PR65, short of the hoped for CAM designation. it's not blue as the poor picture depicts, but the intent was to show the cameo and spotting.
al h.
As always, you're a tremendous wealth of information and assistance. Thanks!
The specks I'm referring to sort of appear to be embedded in the coin; they look like chunks of crud as opposed to dried droplets that were once liquid. I don't know whether they're PVC contamination or metal impurities from the planchets or...?? An overnight soak in acetone hd no effect.
Even though I had a couple of coins from the roll go MS66 at PCGS, I'm less than optimistic about repeating that success with any of the remaining 25 coins. In other words, I think submitting even one coin to NCS would be a fiscally non-productive exercise.
Thanks to everyone who had thoughts and suggestions... and don't be surprised to see a group of 25 B.U. 1939-S nickels go up on eBay soon.