Is it worth it? 1894 O Morgan

ajbauman

I recently picked up this Morgan with several other silver coins for less than melt. I was glad when I saw the date and the mint mark... but then I saw the gunk on it.

Couple of questions:

1. From what you can see of the coin, what would you grade it?
2. Do you think it would even slab (assuming there was no gunk on it)?
3. What do you think it is on there? It looks kind of like gum to me, but it is hard. There are some spots that feel soft though.
4. Do you think I could get this gunk off?
5. Do you think NCS could get it off? Would it be worth it to send it into NCS?
6. How would YOU try to get it off and preserve the coin?

This stuff is on several of the coins I got with the lot.

Morgan:



Walker w/ gunk:

VTCoins

Soak them in acetone.

adamlaneus

It looks very disgusting.

Grade? I dunno; VF? I won't give it a number for I believe the surface looks wierd and it won't slab.

This is a pretty common coin and I don't think it is worth the efforts of NCS.

An acetone soak should remove it. What you find underneath that gunk will probably also be a disturbingly different surface. And then you'll be tempted to dip the whole thing to get a consistent color. Then you have a worn dipped coin. Ack!

Revolting pictures. Someone with a bad flu sneezed on those coins.

ajbauman

sometimes the truth is ugly

Steve27

1) Soak them in acetone.

2) In order to provide a grade estimate, a reverse pic is required.

ajbauman

When you guys say "soak it in acetone"... how long? I've read somewhere that if they sit in acetone too long it will damage the coin.

I'm just wondering how long is too long?

adamlaneus

Acetone does not hurt metal at all, so don't worry about that. Do it outside. It is flammable and volatile. Use 'nitrile' or latex gloves to minimize contact. Acetone will attack many plastics, so keep it well away from slabs!

It should attack and soften that goo rapidly, within tens of seconds. Leave it in for 10 minutes and see what happens. Let the acetone do the work; you do not want to use mechanical force on a coin or you will scratch it. There is no harm in letting it sit.