Has This Mercury Dime Been Dipped?

[astrostu]

Hi folks, I was perusing the Teletrade auctions for next week and came across the Merc I'm looking for for my Type set - a 1916 MS-64FB. I've seen them come up before and most of them have a fair amount of toning on them. I've been looking for an example that's not all crusty and brown or white with brown splotches ... but this one is almost blast-white.

 

Do you think it's ben dipped? Would it be undesirable? Teletrade Image:

 

[TomB]

This is the first year of issue for the design so I would imagine a fair number of coins were saved immediately upon release. However, I do not know if rolls of coins as we know them today were generally available to folks. The image is far too light to say definitively, but I would expect that the coin has been dipped in the past. I would also imagine that most folks like this look and that it would be fairly easy to sell in the future at some price level.

[relicsncoins]

I don't think one can say with absolute certainty, but my guess would be yes just based on the complete lack of any toning. Is it undesirable? To some yes, to other no. I personally have no problems with a 20th cettury coin having very little or no toning providing everything else is "right" with the coin. Now if it were a bust dime that looked like that..........I would have a problem with it.

 

 

[MikeInFL]

I suspect the coin has been dipped, and I would hesitate to buy this coin from Teletrade. Specifically, I'd be concerned that the coin was overdipped and it has affected the luster -- not something that you can tell unless you have the coin in-hand, and given Teletrade's restocking charge, I wouldn't even take the chance unless the coin was very cheap and I was in a gambling mood....Mike

[realone]

Interesting that the terrible photographers at TT seemed to have captured what appears to resemble luster, that is quite interesting. Is it possible that very bright light on a shiny bright white coin will always photograph this way with or without luster? Maybe Mike can answer that, he is the photographer that I would ask.

[michael]

yes coin has been dipped

 

on a common coin like this even in gem you are better off to go to a few big coin shows and pick out one that has a roll fresh "undipped" look to it; and i have no doubt coins exist like this

 

and then go for one that has great eye appeal and of course really super choice to gem technical quality and of course with a full strike

 

if you cant determine the above or get to a show then you got to wing it on teletrash or some other venue in cyberspace

 

personally i would wait for the right one to come along or ask someone like tomb to possibly seek out one for you as a true gem full bands great eye appeal and original roll fresh coin as this will cost less than 350 usd

 

or first learn how to tell the above from an honest collector/dealer you trust 100%

[coinman1794]

It was likely dipped (because most people trying to clean coins dont know of other solutions), but dipping isn't the only form of cleaning or conservation that can achieve a white final product. Not all white coins are dipped! In all cases, I say its definitely not completely original.

[WoodenJefferson]

NGC found it to be "market acceptable" now it's up to the individual collector to determine the "buy factor"

[michael]

it sure as mess aint market acceptable to my minds eye

 

and try to have some higher standards than dealers and slabbing services

 

also try to obtain this common coin with uncommon traits like one that has not been dipped is still basically white with a thick skin and has a roll fresh appearance with great eye appeal really choice to gem quality and a full strike

 

NOW.................... you got a really good uncommon coin

[astrostu]

Alright, well I figured that since it's in NGC plastic that nothing terrible had been done to it other than some whitening process. I've looked at enough early Mercs to know that that color likely wasn't original (except back when it was made). Since TT has had much more original coins up before that still aren't butt-ugly (I wonder if that word will get spooned), I'll pass on the coin.

 

Unfortunately, I don't have a local dealer that I really trust. There's mainly one in the area, but I learned last year that either he is ignorant of altered surfaces and MS grading, or just outright lies (neither of which is a good thing). So I'm not going to him anymore.

 

However, there are coin shows in the area that I have yet to actually go to (despite the fact that I run our club's website that has 'em listed ...). So I'll start hitting those up along with my list in tow, while still watching TT and Heritage.

 

Thanks for all the comments, folks!

[James_OldeTowne]

It's unfair to assume a 1916 Merc has been dipped just because it is blast white, since this is a hoard date, and many thousands were saved in mint state. I cannot tell from that misleading image whether it has been dipped or not.

 

Fortunately, 1916-P is an ideal candidate for a type set, since they tend to be very well struck and usually have booming luster.

[bsshog40]

It looks pretty bright to me and more than like;y dipped at one time. Right now it looks like the victim of a too bright picture hiding what looks like some re-toning around the edges byt the L T & Y Obv, and "of America" on the Rev.

[MikeInFL]

Interesting that the terrible photographers at TT seemed to have captured what appears to resemble luster, that is quite interesting. Is it possible that very bright light on a shiny bright white coin will always photograph this way with or without luster? Maybe Mike can answer that, he is the photographer that I would ask.

 

It's tough to say....

 

Typically, TT's photos tend to mute luster. But every once in a while they blow the exposure and as a result the coin looks more lustrous than it really is. You can generally tell in the full-on shot that shows the slab label --as that is a known quantity you can use to judge exposure. This "unknown" is why I was very careful in how I worded my prior response -- I don't have enough information (perhaps a link to the original auction or the full-slab pics) to feel confident in my assessment.

 

All that said, judging luster from photos -- unlike wear and strike and even eye appeal -- is difficult even with good photos, and an in-hand assessment is almost always necessary to judge luster.

 

Respectfully...Mike

[WinstonWare]

I don't know but I'd pass on it either way. Maybe it's a personal view but I'd rather put my money into a toned Mercury with some originality.

 

I took a minute to look at your coin site. I like it! Nice work on that!

[astrostu]

You can generally tell in the full-on shot that shows the slab label --as that is a known quantity you can use to judge exposure. This "unknown" is why I was very careful in how I worded my prior response -- I don't have enough information (perhaps a link to the original auction or the full-slab pics) to feel confident in my assessment.

 

The link to the auction was in the original post in the first paragraph. Or, click here.

 

 

I took a minute to look at your coin site. I like it! Nice work on that!

 

Thanks!

[BillJones]

Yes, I'd say that it's been dipped, but if it's stable and you like the look, why not go for it.

 

The stable thing is the hard part though. If it is in an old (5+ years) NGC holder (I'm going by the white border) it would have had time to re-tone, but hasn't. If it's in a fairly new holder, it's a shoot.

[Raybo55]

I have a raw example and I still have no clue.

 

[dean1345]

Ray nice Merc and images.