Can some of you take a moment and explain Luster?
smiles72
Posts: 139
I am pretty new to this and it is the one thing I cant get my arms around.
Any help or links would be appreciated.
Any help or links would be appreciated.
0
Comments
Once you see it, you never forget ! I guess you could say it is the sheen on a coin. The GLOW or the AURA. The mint luster is the brand new shininess that comes from a beautifully struck planchet. Well that is how I explain it.
Joe
Perhaps we can be of more specific help if you explain what exactly you're don't understand about luster.
Check out the Southern Gold Society
Edited to add: yes, essentially the shiny new look, most easily seen when turning a BU Morgan dollar. The light cartwheels around the coin as it turns.
Specializing in 1854 and 1855 large FE patterns
<
as it moved to fill in all the parts of the die. Thes flow lines will impart
what is called luster on a coin. If you tilt the coin in a circular motion,
you will see a rotation of light that is called the wagon wheel effect. It
is calles that because the rotation light looks like its name sake. Sometimes the
luster is correscation. This is a luster do heavy it seems to flow in overlapping
layes and is quite beautifyl. A coin is not truly uncirculated unless the wagon wheel effect
is complete and unbroken by any part of the coin.
Proof coins and PL coins will not show this luster except on the devices
on newly struck PR or PL coins from new dies which are then called Deep Mirror
or Ultra Mirror PR or PL. Worn coins struck for regular coinage that are in AU or XF
condition will show luster in parts of the protedted areas of the field.
A lot of the degree of luster, is determined by the heat of the planchent, the pressure,
and the the newness of the die. The luster can be a hard blazing headlight or may show up as
a soft antique luster you might find on fine crafted old silver works. The luster will also be accompanied
on older coins, by a an origonal skin, which is composed of the natual oxidation of the surface molecules of
the coin in question. Excessive or harsh dipping to remove tarnish, will strip away this skin as well as the
natural luster of the coin.
c
Camelot
You are the one I wished I sat behind in school. That is one shoulder I could look over any day.
Excellent description. I'm humbled.
Luster means slightly different things to different people but essentially everyone is
talking about the shininess on the coin left by the dies. The metal of the planchet act
as a liquid for an instant when the dies close on it. There is a huge amount of pressure
(~60t/ Inch^2) and the metal is forced into the recesses of the die. This ususally leaves
the out layer of the coin tightly packed and highly reflective. It is this reflectivity which
is often thought of as luster. The luster also defines mint state since so long as it is in-
tact over the entire coin then it's considered uncirculated. As metal is sloughed off the
high points in collisions with other coins the luster is eroded and the color turns a typical
grey. The coin is no longer considered uncirculated. There are other ways that luster
can be removed such as over-dipping or whizzing.
And here is one that is fully lustrious. Luster is so hard to take a picture of, this is why most people say they need the coin in hand to give that coin an appropriate grade.
grey. The coin is no longer considered uncirculated.......
...except by the TPG's which routinely grade many 19th century coins without full luster up to MS63 grades. This exception is most often seen on silver and gold coins.
roadrunner
<< <i>I am pretty new to this and it is the one thing I cant get my arms around.
>>
How 'bout this from dennis88:
<< <i>Grab a CD, doesn't matter if it's Mozart, Meat Loaf or whoever else, just a CD. Actually, a new CD-R would work the best, but it's not really necessary. Now look at that CD, and when hold into a spotlight, you will see a narrow line crossing the disk from left to right in rainbowcolors. When you move the disk, the line will also move.
When an UNC coin has luster, it will display a same sort of line, but now in just white over the coin. In AU, it will be less strong or prominent, and further down in grade you will hardly notice it. A crisp UNC coin, with outstanding luster will show a very clear line, a coin with so-called dull luster somewhat less.
Hope this helps for some of you,
Dennis >>
and it sets us apart from practitioners and consultants. Gregor
Luster is primarily what separates these coins in grade (marks count too). Looking at these all together, it is relatively easy to see that the 65 has more luster than the 64, which has more than the 63. Many novices make the mistake of grading primarily on marks. Marks are important, however, it is best to look at the coin as a whole to gauge the overall eye appeal, then deduct for marks. A coin with dullish luster like the 63 in the picture, is not going to get a super high grade, even if there are not many marks.
I get it a little bit now.
Joe
$20 Saint Gaudens Registry Set
<< <i>Wow bear....
You are the one I wished I sat behind in school. That is one shoulder I could look over any day.
Excellent description. I'm humbled. >>