Scratches on a PCGS Holder
HIGHLOWLEAVES
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I know that the best method of removing scratches from the PCGS holder has been discussed many times, please refresh my old age memory. Thanks.
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We'll use our hands and hearts and if we must we'll use our heads.
http://www.slabrenew.com
However I am guessing it's the exact same stuff mentioned above, only more expensive
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<< <i>Plast-X or some other similar plastic polish. >>
Plast-X is available at your local auto parts store and also works good on renewing dull plastic covers on car headlights. It was designed for cleaning convertible top plastic windows.
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<< <i>This is also this ... which is supposedly made for coin slabs ...
http://www.slabrenew.com
However I am guessing it's the exact same stuff mentioned above, only more expensive >>
I've used it, and on the basis of color, odor and consistency I'd say it is repackaged Novus. I've gotten the best results with PlastX.
It does take a bit of work sometimes. One application is usually enough. But sometimes I've had to make several passes.
Use some effort. Bear down on it. Use a clean section of the rag often or you will add scratches, not remove them. A light finishing buff helps.
Even when polish won't completely remove bad scratches it still softens edges. So light doesn't catch them as well. The photo will look a lot better. (A common problem with slab photos showing lots of scratches is failure to focus properly. Focus beyond the slab and on the coin.)
FWIW, NGC slabs are a bear. The plastic is different...softer and more pliable, and scratches are very difficult to remove. Best advice is to get the coin in a PCGS slab.
Lance.
<< <i>I like the reholder submission method the best.....
Sounds a lot more expensive ($10+shipping+insurance) and more trouble (packaging, drive to the PO, stand in line, etc) than just polishing out the scratches while watching one of your favorite TV shows. Also, I hate entrusting my favorite coins in the hands of others and out of my sight.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
<< <i>This is also this ... which is supposedly made for coin slabs ...
http://www.slabrenew.com
However I am guessing it's the exact same stuff mentioned above, only more expensive >>
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<< <i>I like the reholder submission method the best.....
I agree.........that is until the reholdered coins come back with scratches on the slabs!
The name is LEE!
If you've got one that is really bad, some fine-grit sandpaper can be used, followed by a little TLC with a polishing compound. Just be careful with the power tools. They're great, but if you over-do it the slab can actually melt and that's pretty hard to clean up. You'll be surprised at what kind of problems you can fix with a little effort. As far as I'm concerned, scratches alone are no reason to have a coin re-holdered.
One of the reasons you need to continually use a fresh, clean cloth is because fine particles of the plastic removed remain in the polish and can add new scratches if you don't move to a new, clean part of the cloth.
I agree that deep scratches cannot be removed with a plastic polish. But the polish will soften the sharp edges which catch light and will make them less prominent.
I have not tried fine grit sandpaper and polishing compound. But that's an experiment I will try on some cracked-out holders.
Lance.
I sold a first spouse on ebay that came back to me because of a " scratch " on the slab over the coin.
I couldn't convince the guy to keep it and I honored my return policy. I later sold it with a lesser mark showing after some polishing.
It came to me from pcgs with a relatively deep manufacturing defect right over the forehead. A pencil lead sized whorl was obviously made in, and I made them at pcgs. So I knew it was factory.
I polished the heck out of that slab thinking I needed to do it to sell it again. I got it about halfway out after maybe 3 blisters and more sore knuckles (knuckles for more pressure).
After that much work and time I realized it wasn't worth it and both the previous buyer and I were making a mine shaft out of a pencil tip. I quit polishing and sold it fine with the bullet point right over the forehead.
I do think it is possible to polish it out despite the depth, but the plastic would be a lot thinner on that side. I just didn't see the point
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None of mine were ever so "affected" to bother mentioning.
This would be a rare mechanical error on a submission.
Ask how they've held up in a few years.
<< <i>A question to all - has anyone found any of the new (square hologram sticker) PCGS slabs with any big scratches yet? I have a few of those slabs now and they appear tougher and clearer to me. >>
According to DW the new slabs are scratch-resistant and have better/clearer optics.
Lance.
<< <i>According to DW the new slabs are scratch-resistant and have better/clearer optics.
Lance. >>
I carried around the FUN sample slab in my pocket for the remainder of the show and the trip home after receiving it. There were some minor scratches on it that I saw under magnification and I was able to buff them out. Scratch-resistant does not mean scratch-proof. New slabs and newly polished slabs all go into plastic sleeves for easier storage in double-row boxes.
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