Micro Numismatic Quiz #18 ANSWERED
Insider2
Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭
Sorry, no prizes 
I am going to be posting micrographs of anything that can be found on coins. Some will be easy and some will not. The correct answer is whatever I say it is 
but feel free to disagree (giving your reason) so all of us can discuss it. Images will be posted in this thread at my discretion - several each week. I will usually post the answers late the next day after the quiz was posted.
In order to make this FUN for beginners. I'll ask the "experts" to PLEASE not guess what any of the images are until the next day. Otherwise, folks like (fill in the blank) will get all of them immediately - That's NO FUN. If no correct answer is given by the next day, the "experts" should PLEASE respond. The answer for each image will usually be posted in the afternoon when I add another image.
The Rules:
1.Anyone can guess. That's because even an incorrect guess can open further discussion as to why it is incorrect.
2.The BEST guess is in two parts:
A. What characteristic the image shows.
B. What did you see in the image that led to your guess.
The Question: You are about to buy a raw $10 Indian. As soon as you put your 10X magnifier on it you see this! What do you see?
The Image:
Comments
Dandruff?
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 agree. Coin seborrhea.
somebody was trying to hide a cleaning.
I see parallel scratches I think.
bob
I'm not really sure, I've seen that before though.
Some type of putty job?
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There are diagonal lines through the toning in the field. Could have been cleaned, bits of tissue left behind.
Post putty?
Looks like there is something going on where the neck meets the jaw line. There appears to be at lot marks in that area. Perhaps, putty applied to cover it up and then an attempt at trying to clean-up the excess.
Cleaned surface covered with some type of dipping substance still on the coin.
Actually, I think it is old putty that is flaking off. Looks like it was put on the jawline to cover some hits.
Perhaps a cast counterfeit?
I'm seeing roughness below and in front of the neck, along with the white foreign material noted by others.
Cual es la respuesta?
So far - close but no cigar. Answer later today. Hint: This was a fairly common alteration but less so now.
There is clearly some sort of surface contaminant that was used to hide the cleaning hairlines or the obverse chatter. Often older coin doctors would harvest PVC and then use it much like putty to conceal flaws. PVC can be white too. That's my guess. Of course, I would like to have the ability to view the coin in hand, etc.
The good news is, if I am right, that it can be conserved, but will still be left with a details coin because of the cleaning hairlines.
Strange, looks like something was added to the coin than worked on?
Not putty.
Pencil eraser particles popped into my mind but that makes no sense.
Instead of putty, maybe bondo. Works good on cars to fill-in all kinds of damage but then it is usually repainted. So small application of bondo on a coin is possible. I think.
"Instead of putty, maybe bondo. Works good on cars to fill-in all kinds of damage but then it is usually repainted. So small application of bondo on a coin is possible. I think."
Please do not try this at home folks.
Bondo & coins do not mix well. Then they will end up back here on the boards asking "what is this new error?"
Fields were shined up around the devices to make the devices stand out. 3D effect.
.Baked dough. .J/K
Dental wax was used to hide imperfections. It leaves a sticky-to-the-touch surface. It will scrape off into little, pushed-up, debris mounds. Photographed a Morgan dollar alteration using this stuff last week and I will post it.
This substance is hardly used anymore as it is easy to detect when you know what to look for.
We were all pretty much right - it was afflicted with an organic surface contaminant to hide the surfaces.
A minty fresh smell?
Of all things. Well I guess if someone uses nose grease, why not something meant for the mouth. LOL
Thanks for the “lessons” @Insider2!
Anyone who could tell the coin was "played with" was technically correct. However, putty does not bunch up into chunks as this has. Dissolved substances like Bondo form a thin haze. Nose grease does not bunch up either but tiny, greasy, particles (ugh!) can form a build -up around the coins releif.
Sometimes? I've heard of mint so there must be cinnamon also.