What causes spots to appear on ASE after they are slabbed?

coincollector1989 · August 10, 2008 12:18PM

I just pulled my ASE collection and noticed that some of them have milk spots on them. Does anyone know how this happens?

YaHa · August 10, 2008 12:23PM

If you find out PCGS is paying $50k for the answer.

BAJJERFAN · August 10, 2008 12:25PM

They are on there before slabbing too; its not the slabs that cause it.

coincollector1989 · August 10, 2008 12:26PM

I just looked at my 1987 MS-69 and noticed that a nice big fat fingerprint has now appeared on the obverse. Are these spots from the mint due to the rinse or is it something else. Now I'm starting to get mad.

Edited for lack of spelling.

BAJJERFAN · August 10, 2008 12:37PM

Either from a rinse or from some sort of special treatment possibly bleaching. The principal component of the spot is chlorine/chloride so I doubt that is from the slab. Problem is that no one knows exactly whats involved in making the planchets so its really hard to say with any certainty exactly whats going on. FYI the spots are readily removed from the coin surface by sandblasting with a beam of Argon cations if you have some of those laying around. The mostly circular nature of the spots suggests deposition by smoe sort of evaporating liquid, kinda like water spots on dishes washed in hard water..

YaHa · August 10, 2008 12:50PM

<< <i>I just looked at my 1987 MS-69 and noticed that a nice big fat fingerprint has now appeared on the obverse. Are these spots from the mint due to the rinse or is it something else. Now I'm starting to get mad.

Edited for lack of spelling. >>

That means your coin was stolen before you got it and the police forgot to clean the fingerprint residue off. I would take that coin to your local station and have the crime supervisor do some lab tests to find out who's fingerprints on it. You could have a famous murderer that held that coin.

BAJJERFAN · August 10, 2008 12:56PM

<< <i>If you find out PCGS is paying $50k for the answer. >>

They are paying $50K for a cure that will remove the spot and leave the surface unharmed; they don't paricularly care what caused it.

What causes spots to appear on ASE after they are slabbed?

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