Please explain putty or "dum-dum" on coins!

majorbigtime

I've heard of putty or "dum-dum" used to enhance coins. Please explain what it is and how it works.

RYK

Putty can be used to hide planchet roughness, bagmarks, scratches, etc. to improve the appearance (and perceived grade) of a coin. It usually becomes apparent over time and does not damage the coin permanently.

Russ

Now that you have an explanation of putty, here's an example of dum dum.

Russ, NCNE

saintguru

The term "putty" is a misunderstood. It really refers these days to any substance that has been applied to a coin to cover hits, scratches, etc. I have seen a lot of gold where they literally just lightly rubbed a film of nose grease on it to make it look better. This isn't a joke. It's easily removed if it doesn't work and it often does work.

majorbigtime

<< <i>Now that you have an explanation of putty, here's an example of dum dum.

Russ, NCNE >>



Befitting of the author of this post, to be sure.

What's NCNE? My guess Nasty Coin Nerd Expert