Impaired Buffalo pics- Legger varieties

buffnut

I am close to completing my collection of imparied leg buffalo nickels and wanted to share some pics! I am missing the 16D and the 37D, but here are the others:

1917D:


1926D (was ANACS VF20 details, corroded, but with a lot of patience, time, and acetone I fixed that ):

Before:


After:


1927D (the "D" is virtually invisible in the pic, but it is there):


1936D:

Newcomp103

Sweet before and after pics...how long and what was the process to bring the 26-D back to life?

buffnut

I soaked it in acetone for a full day, and began to massage the problem areas with a toothpick after that. That removed only a little of the corrosion, and I finally resorted to (not recommended) micro surgery with a razor blade to remove the rest. IF you are extremely careful, and have an extremely light tough and steady hand, you can actually remove the corrosion without scratching the coin this way. It did leave behind some micro pits, but they blend well with the other circulation marks and are hardly noticeable. There are some spots that I left alone, as they were more of a discoloration than corrosion, and help to keep the natural look of the coin intact. Once the corrosion itself was "broken up" a bit from the razor tip, a judicious rubbing with a Qtip and some distilled water helped to loosen up the rest of the gunk. I probably spent about 4 hours with a razor and a strong loupe to get it this way. If done correctly, you actually don't touch the surface of the coin at all. I made a few microscopic marks, but they blended away in the regular circulation marks.

13PacesEast

they're not gold.

Newcomp103

I really like the after "look" of the 26-D...and although you may never want to sell it...would a potential buyer view that coin as a "problem" coin...or would a TPG service either bb or slab it as "cleaned", etc... I love raw buffalo's, so to me, I admire your patience, was just curious about certification possibilities and the "what if's".

RichieURich

Nice group! Congratulations! Apparently you're also missing the 1913 Type 1 with 3 1/2 legs. Me too, and I'm also missing the 1916-D.

Shamika

The 27-D is a tough one!

You did a pretty good job on the 26-D although I wouldn't have dared touch it with anything other than a touthpick.

buffnut

I plan on sending them in for certification with SEGS. I fully expect the 26D to come back as corroded and cleaned, because it was both! I personally like the coin much better without the Christmas colored gunk, and it probably would have caused further damage if left there.

I did leave out the 1913 legger from my list. Brain fart. I do have the next closest thing however. I thought SEGS was a little harsh on the grade. It is blast white and has very few marks. The strike is good, but the die was worn badly, so the details are mushy:

koynekwest

That's a very impressive and a TOUGH set. As you probably know, the 1913 is nearly impossible, and the '16-D is no piece of cake, either. I had a chance on an unattributed '16-D in MS63 but I didn't bid high enough. I could kick myself on that one.

WinPitcher

Thanks for sharing.

Steve

buffnut

I may have gotten the 16D too. The leg is weak, but not obliterated like some. Here are some pics- lemme know what you think. The last two pics are of a regular 1916D and the one I bought for comparison: