Micro-Numismatics Quiz #20 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: This is a fairly old alteration that has started to appear again. Mostly seen on Type coins and Morgan dollars, can you guess what was done to the surface to achieve this effect. I'm fairly certain I know. What do you think.
Hint: Look at the entire image and don't get bogged down on the tiny stuff.
The Images: Same coin with different direction of light. The entire coin looks as this does on both sides.
Comments
Woah! Did you fix your white balance?
Here, it just looks like an excessive quantity of closely grouped contact marks. As usual, the context of the rest of the coin is missing. This could be deliberate tooling to cover up some other work (smoothing to remove a gouge, perhaps) if the rest of the coin doesn't look like this. If the whole coins looks like this, it could just be regular circulation marks.
The marks in the field is vastly different from the areas immediately surrounding the letters.
Right side of the marks (in the field) terminate under A and swirl back to the left and down. Something was used... fine point chisel-like...
WAG. Something (metal) was melted on the coin to cover something and used an engraving tool (something) to try and clean/cover up the application of the melted something.
That is something.
To hide an imperfection or major flaw, coin was run through a rock tumbler with tape over the devices for protection (they are too clean).
I thtink it's called smoothing.
@Hemispherical said: "The marks in the field is vastly different from the areas immediately surrounding the letters."
@LindeDad said: "I thtink it's called smoothing. Nope, nothing smooth about this surface!
My first instinct was a wire brush but used with downward snapping motion (using the tips of the wires to contact the coin)
rather than side to side or brushing motion.
I like the rock tumbler hypothesis. If the stones are large enough, the won't impact very close to the letters, butwill leave a plethora of marks in the fields.
holed and plugged
bob
Coin looks like it was sandblasted
Spot removal?
My YouTube Channel
@jedm said: "My first instinct was a wire brush but used with downward snapping motion (using the tips of the wires to contact the coin) rather than side to side or brushing motion.
Don't think so as the marks would look like speckles not big nicks.
@JRocco said: " Coin looks like it was sandblasted."
Don't think so because the medium would need to be coarse to make major hits as these.
I believe coins as this are "tumbled." The reason is how similar these coins look to coins in charm bracelets. The impact marks do not reach the area next to the relief leaving a "halo" effect.
Looks like it has been placed in a bag with other coins and shaken to remove previous tooling or hairlines - artificial wear.