What are your opinions on the originality of this merc?

airplanenut

I just photographed it, and after an initial "wow!" when I opened the package, I started to think that it was AT. What are your opinions? (I don't own the coin).

Personally, I feel NGC dropped the ball on this one... I also don't agree with their FB designation... I think the coin is close, but just misses.






Jeremy

kamehameha00

Sould have been bagged for Artifial Toning, IMO. The bands don't even look full either.

JrGMan2004

I don't know about the toning, and can't say either way... but about the bands, they appear full to me, it's just there's not enough light on the very left side of the bands... it's in shadow there, and I can't see well... but they do appear to be nicely split......

ldhair

FB and real tone.

jdimmick

Toning looks original to me also. The bands look just split enough to call it FB IMO.

coinguy1

Naturally toned, IMO.

ziggy29

IMO, the toning seems natural and the bands just barely fully split.

FullHorn

Looks good to me, did NGC give it a 65?

airplanenut

<< <i>Looks good to me, did NGC give it a 65? >>

66FB

airplanenut

Ok, so if it's NT... how did it tone? The pattern and colors are new to me. It doesn't look like an album piece... maybe wrapped in some sort of tissue paper? If that's the case, what kept the reverse blast white?

astrorat

Pretty coin. The bands are split, but without examining the coin in-hand it difficult to tell if the center bands are rounded which is needed for for FSB. From the photo, how split the bands are is difficult to tell. Then again, it is still a nice coin.

Lane

sliderider

I thought rounding over was no longer a requirement for split bands, just that bands be dinstinctly seperate with no bridging. Can we get a ruling, coinguy??

FC57Coins

That's an endroll toned dime - very nice example too - It got a bump to 66 probably because of the color and luster - as for the FSB - that's a little iffy there - it could go one way or the other - I see a little weakness on the right hand side of the bands, but perhaps not enough to knock it out of the designation.

oreville

Looks good to me. Cannot tell from the left side if it is FB. Sliderider, rounding is not needed. Just split.

Toning looks like it was in contact with some kind of paper such as the end of a bank roll whereas the reverse was in contact with another coin within the roll.

rainbowroosie

If the coin is AT it is a super job...my only concern is the purple, otherwise looks ox....great lustre.

Newmismatist

Could be End Roll. Or it was stored face down on some type of paper (or envelope) that only allowed contact with the only obverse side - I had about 10 "bullion" roosies in an envelope and several toned just like that - one side only - many old time dealers would store multiple pennies or dimes in one envelope, particularly if they were "common" coins - (not as common to store multple quarters or halves though because their "bulk" would tend to split the envelopes). As a kid in the 50's, when I would go to the local coin shop, if I asked to see unc pennies or dimes the dealer would take out a 2x2 box filled with brown envelopes and in many were multiple coins. He'd carefully let them slid out onto a piece of white paper (no velvet trays there) and I could pick which ever one I wanted, then with the envelope flap he's slid them back into the envelope. This was true of both circ & common unc coins. The Unc key dates were almost always one to an envelope, but I do remember multiple Unc 31-S in the same envelope, as the dealer I went to had several rolls of that date. - the same was true of the later date merc dimes. Although I wasn't collecting mercs at the time (other than what I could pick out of circulation), I do remember another customer complaining that some of them were "tarnished" and asking if the dealer had any other "shiney" ones.

coinguy1

<< <i>I thought rounding over was no longer a requirement for split bands, just that bands be dinstinctly seperate with no bridgiing. Can we get a ruling, coinguy?? >>

Sliderider, while I am not in a position to give a "ruling" on the subject, I concur with you that the bands need only be split (not rounded) to qualify for the FB designation.

sliderider

<< <i>

<< <i>I thought rounding over was no longer a requirement for split bands, just that bands be dinstinctly seperate with no bridgiing. Can we get a ruling, coinguy?? >>

Sliderider, while I am not in a position to give a "ruling" on the subject, I concur with you that the bands need only be split (not rounded) to qualify for the FB designation. >>



Didn't you post an informative thread not very long ago concerning this very thing in which you said that rounded bands used to be required but weren't anymore?? Am I thinking of someone else??

Click for thread

marcmoish

Nice pictures Jeremy, and you've got a good eye developing - while I note the dime looks original toned and all and prettya t that it is NOT full band nor should it have been given a FB desig!
Unfortunately NGC is not known for strict grading in this series at all. Forget the left side - look at the 2nd stick to the right that is not split. If you gotta turn it around here and there to see a split it ain't split or we'd have many more FB designations accross the board.

I agree with the grade though as it is 66!



Marc

JxnBoy

<< <i>Didn't you post an informative thread not very long ago >>



2002 Is "not very long ago?"

I'm impressed that someone at least knows how to use the search feature....

Jeremy, as far as the dime, I think FB is pushing it, but I would've questioned the toning till I read the previous threads.

Craton

Almost the same toning as these coins I toned with matches and water in in air tight container.

Dog97

The tone looks like it is just floating on the top and the high parts of the design elements are the same color as the low parts and the inside of the letters.
Kinda looks like it has been treated with ammonia, that gives the strange blue look too.
Not envelope tone, not bag tone, seems like album would be toned more uniformly from the outside moving inward.
Specs on it are suspect.
Kinda reminds me of the egg & vinegar eagles Frattlaw posted.
I'm just saying.

MrSpud

I have been questioning blue/purple coins since I made a few like the one I have attached

Dog97

I've got one that looks just like that planenut. I've always call it blantant AT.
A merc guy told me it had ammonia appplied to it. He has some like it. The white area @ the bottom looks like liquid pooled there. The rev is blast white with a small nasty black speck on the torch.

PQpeace

Looks like an NGC ms68fb...

ColonialCoinUnion

I'd say its QT (questionable toning), which means that, for all practical purposes, the market will treat it and price it like AT.

sliderider

Wow, I didn't even think to look at the dates because the thread was on page one just a couple of weeks ago, and others were posting to it, so I thought it was fresh.

291fifth

The bands are just barely split. This is the type of "full bands" you don't want to own in a soft market because the dealers will not buy it for "full bands" money. Always evaluate your coins from the standpoint of a dealer during a slow market. Toning is probably original.

Tom

dorkkarl

un-natural tone, but mkt-acceptable.

"fb" wouldn't matter a bit to me on this coin.

K S