Out, OUT!! Damned spot!!:+)

canadacolornut

I don't know. Do dealers save these kinds of coins especially for me?

If I looked at the payroll records of the various world wide mints would i find a "Supervisor of Carbon Spot Placement"
along with a dozen or so little elf helpers?

I bought this coin for about $22 from a normally very reliable source. The obverse is danged near perfect and the
reverse is just gorgeous. EXCEPT! One very large, very prominent carbon spot in the reverse field.

We had a back and forth about the spot not showing up in the photo and I'm pretty well convinced that was in a darkened area
and not intentional so I decided not to return it.

So I'm going to submit it. And I'm going to be very lucky if I get a PR63 because of it when otherwise it's a laydown PR66 and beautiful to boot.

I'm going to ask this body again-knowing that I'll get various "no way brother" responses along with a suggestion or two that I use
an electric grinder or a tractor.

But there has just GOT to be a way to remove these damned things, and if there isn't I think I'll devote my few remaining years
trying to come up with one.

I'm convinced that Dinah could retire to Monte Carlo on the royalty checks.

Anyway, here it is. Any and all suggestions appreciated.

Well any CONSTRUCTIVE suggestions anyway

Bailathacl

Looks like an incoming cannonball. Sorry I can't give you any constructive help, but I feel your pain.

Silvereagle82

You could always send it to NCS for conservation, then grading by NGC all in one submittal.

7Jaguars

With the usual disclaimer of not having it in hand, these spots are da-- near impossible to get rid of. It is possible that electrolysis in the best of hands might do a very small bit but it can also wreck the coin and the nice bit of minimal toning it has otherwise.

I sent in an 1852 farthing that although not proof, was otherwise similar in metal presentation with but a wee spot to NCS and they then charged me for impercetpible changes and sent in back in their variant of a BODYBAG!!!

SYRACUSIAN

EXCEPT! One very large, very prominent carbon spot in the reverse field.


John,it's neither large nor prominent, you're overreacting, no offense. Submit it to PCGS as is ,and never mind the spot. This is a large coin, not a 16mm one. It will grade PR64 , or maybe even PR65 on a good day. And like I've already told you I hope that you didn't mess with the spot on the other coin. I don't like spots either, but you my friend, I think I detect some OCD symptoms.

canadacolornut

Thanks Dimitri.

I do realize that i'm anal obsessive compulsive about stuff like that but I'm trying very
hard to build some top quality sets in the more modern series that are affordable.

And when I run into the results of some mint employe pressing coins into sets with the grease from his fish and
chips still on his hands it really makes me want to track down his heirs and demand restitution :+)

Part of the game, I know. But I was serious about finding some way, ANY way to deal with those little
carbon spot demons that seem to have licked every man jack on this forum along with the coin
collecting world in general.

Hell, modern science can send men to the moon and landing craft to Jupiter, but can't deal with one
miserable like carbon fleck?!!

mrpotatoheadd

I would bet if you could even get the spot off in the first place, there'd still be a spot there- a depression where the original spot ate into the surface.

olmanjon

I'm with you canadacolornut. It seems that with todays science they should be able to do something. My gut feeling is that they probably can do something but it would be to costly to have it done.
Olmanjon

FilthyBroke

I don't know, I had a copper coin treated at PCGS and it was still pretty noticable afterwards. That was really the reason I kept away from copper, the nasty spotting.
It almost looks like fly poo to me, not carbon. Can you send it back? I guess for $22 I'd just chalk it up to experience.

Oh, and there's nothing wrong with being discriminating, right? I bet we're all a little obsessive compulsive, I know I am.

Lancastercoin

Well, there is kind of an answer but you might not like it. To even suggest it is a lynching offense on these boards, since it's "doctoring". It's called strip and retone. There isn't a step-by-step guide available but start hanging out with copper guys at major shows (or ask around the interweb perhaps) and you can learn about it. Search the US boards here and you can see some very illustrative examples that sharp eyes caught going from 64BN slabs to 65R slabs (or something similar). The techniques were perfected for US cents of both sizes (that being where the $$$$ is, after all) but bronze is bronze.

As far as I know though (which isn't far) there is not a way to take spots off copper in a way that produces an "original" or "market acceptable" look without a chemical or electrochemical bath that makes the entire surface a uniform color. I mean, it'd be easy to just treat one area but then you'd be left with a light spot instead of a dark spot. And then there's always the question of a changed texture in the area beneath the discoloration. But feel free to spend some years on the issue - if you discover the answer then it's up to you if you want to share it with everyone, sequester it for use on your personal collection, or just use it to make yourself filthy rich.

OzzyAndy

Of course if you 'doctor' it too much, then the new PCGS sniffing machine will catch it out as a manipulation.

That's the trouble with blowing up coins to the size of a monitor, you see things that look bad on a coin that looks fine with the naked eye. It especially bugs me with coins the size of cents that look fine on close examination but try to put up a decent sized photo and it looks awful.

canadacolornut

All good comments and suggestions folks, and thanks.

All said and done, I do realize that if I am able to remove the carbon spot it will no doubt leave a pit where
it's eaten into the metal.

I thought about filling that little pit with margarine but I imagine the graders would "spot" ( so to speak)
that pretty quickly.

Any comments on how you think it will grade in current state appreciated. I have one at PR 64 or 65....

Gazza

Laser treatment

7Jaguars

Gazza,
yea that is one I was wondering about as it seems a laser might "decolorize" the spot. I think it may be either a grease spot tohat then oxidized or possibly effluvium from sneeze or other similar debris...Not just a spot of carbon.


I do like the post above about stripping and detoning as I have seen whole cases of IHC and Lincolns at shows like Baltimore that looked to have that done with many of them slabbed by the most prominent of TPGs.

marcmoish

stop hitting ur head for 22 bucks - looks like you did well - the spot glares out minimally and in hand probably not overly intrusive - I've seen much worse "spots". I'd def send it in to grade - highly doubt it will be BB'd - you might very well get a 65 as it truly merits that grade w/the spot!
Good luck

coinkat

I see the coin more as a piece of history and I have a deep respect for George VI and all the things that he had to deal with that is hard to appreciate and understand- I like the coin- and it should be a welcome addition to any collection

I say this in part because the collectioning expectations are just too high for copper or bronze

Canadacolornut- please understand this is Not directed at you or anyone- its just science and what happens over time- there is just limited control available to protect proof copper or bronze

ccrdragon

if you want a grade opinion - PR64. nice strike (but not exceptional), clean fields, but I would guess not one of the first strikings for the proof series. I would also grade it a 64 w/o the spot as I don't believe the spot to be a major distraction.

as for removal of the spot - I say no - it will ruin the coin (at least in my eyes). there were 16,000 of these coins minted in 1952, so with a little patience, I am sure that you can find one that does not have spots or other distractions (and ones that have much nicer toning than the one presented if that is what you are interested in). just save this one (or flip it if that is the way you want to go) and begin the hunt for the next one.

lordmarcovan

<< <i>If I looked at the payroll records of the various world wide mints would i find a "Supervisor of Carbon Spot Placement" >>





<< <i>Looks like an incoming cannonball. >>





Me, I'd be so afraid of messing up the coin that I'd learn to live with the spot.

It's really not THAT awful, y'know. And as you said, it's an otherwise gorgeous coin.

canadacolornut

For the record guys, "incoming cannonball" and all, the coin did make PR65. So those of
you who said it would were right. And, thankfully, I was wrong.

The obverse, in my opinion, a clear PR67 was apparently enough to carry it....

ccrdragon

Congrats on the 65 - nice grade for the series!