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What is altered surfaces?

I keep getting this on bagged coins, not cleaned or AT but altered surfaces.

What is it?
I seldom check PM's but do check emails often jason@seated.org

Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.

Buying great coins - monster eye appeal only.

Comments

  • A dipped and retoned copper coin would get that designation. Also a whizzed coin I believe.


  • << <i>A dipped and retoned copper coin would get that designation. Also a whizzed coin I believe. >>



    No, a whizzed coin will get a "whizzed" designation
  • AUandAGAUandAG Posts: 24,893 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Besides dipping (main culpret I believe) coins can be thumbed, erased, or plumbers puttied too.

    bobimage
    Registry: CC lowballs (boblindstrom), bobinvegas1989@yahoo.com
  • dogwooddogwood Posts: 1,935 ✭✭✭✭
    Next time David Hall spends a day answering questions from the forum, maybe this one should be asked.


    Prey tell...what does plumbers putty do?????
    We're all born MS70. I'm about a Fine 15 right now.
  • ccmorganccmorgan Posts: 1,232 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Besides dipping (main culpret I believe) coins can be thumbed, erased, or plumbers puttied too.

    bobimage >>


    Plumbers putty? What about silly putty? image
    Love the 1885-CC Morgan
  • 123cents123cents Posts: 7,178 ✭✭✭
    A coin that has been whizzed, tooled, polished, or filled in to hide surface problems is considered a altered coin.
    image
  • AUandAGAUandAG Posts: 24,893 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Besides dipping (main culpret I believe) coins can be thumbed, erased, or plumbers puttied too.

    bobimage >>


    Plumbers putty? What about silly putty? image >>



    Yes, that's it, I meant silly putty!! No, really plumbers putty temporairily hides the sruffs you see on the Morgan dollar
    cheeks. However, later it turns to a soft golden brown type of AT.
    At least this is what I was told by my plumber!

    bobimage

    PS anyone actually do this? IF so please report your findings!!
    Registry: CC lowballs (boblindstrom), bobinvegas1989@yahoo.com
  • I've gotten the dreaded "altered surfaces" sticker several times, once on a coin Mark B. at B&M described as "well worth owning". Whenever I mention how disappointed I am to him he says, "I'll get back to you..."
    Salute the automobile: The greatest anti-pollution device in human history!
    (Just think of city streets clogged with a hundred thousand horses each generating 15 lbs of manure every day...)
  • In the first couple of submissions I made to PCGS I sent in what I thought were my "best" coins at the time and got back several as "altered surfaces". I think a couple had been dipped (but not cleaned) before I bought them, so I could sort of understand those, but with several I still have no idea as to why the surface was judged to be altered. This is why I think that one of the ideas for changes proposed a couple of weeks ago is a good idea- if I pay $18-$30 for a coin that gets bodybagged, I would appreciate a little more detailed explanation of the problem with the coin. At least this way, I could learn (at a cost, of course) from my past purchasing mistakes.
    "College men from LSU- went in dumb, come out dumb too..."
    -Randy Newmanimage
  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 44,515 ✭✭✭✭✭
    imageimage

    PVC damage was the first assessment on this coin. I didn't do anything except mistakenly sent it in again a year later and it came back bagged for "altered surfaces".
  • ccmorganccmorgan Posts: 1,232 ✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>

    << <i>Besides dipping (main culpret I believe) coins can be thumbed, erased, or plumbers puttied too.

    bobimage >>


    Plumbers putty? What about silly putty? image >>



    Yes, that's it, I meant silly putty!! No, really plumbers putty temporairily hides the sruffs you see on the Morgan dollar
    cheeks. However, later it turns to a soft golden brown type of AT.
    At least this is what I was told by my plumber!

    bobimage

    PS anyone actually do this? IF so please report your findings!! >>


    Your plummer is a coin collector? I take it he collects morgans.image
    Love the 1885-CC Morgan
  • pb2ypb2y Posts: 1,461
    Putty your butt. Its all in the moon phase.

    image
    image

  • gyocomgdgyocomgd Posts: 2,582 ✭✭✭
    I got an "altered surfaces" a while back, resubmitted and it pulled MS64.
    Several graders seeing a coin as damaged, and then seeing the same coin in a completely different light, still makes no sense to me. It's not like the metal on the coin was magically transformed overnight or anything. Just ridiculous...
    image

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