Aah!!!!!!!! My coin was buffed!!!

[usa123-migration]

I noticed it the other day while I was sorting through my collection. I was curious about it, so I checked out my Columbian Commemorative. I magnified it and saw that someone thought it would have been funny to "shine it up a bit"

 

I didn't even notice it when I bought it, even though I got it at an Antique Mall. It would have pulled in probably an MS-65 if they wouldn't have buffed it. It had no hits and every detail is there.

 

That sucks, anyone else had that happen to them? I need like a support group or something. HAHA!

[kryptonitecomics]

So the wipped it down with a rag or something??? How can you tell it was buffed, what are you seing under magnification

 

 

I have heard of wizzed, but not buffed

 

 

I have purchased coins as original that later turned out to be cleaned, but no other funny business.

[airplanenut]

I have heard of wizzed, but not buffed

A whizzed coin is made with a fast-spinning metal brush to simulate lustre. Buffing is simply cleaning with a rag, at least as I took it--sometimes a very shiny polish as opposed to simple silver cleaner will be used, and the coin will become so reflective most will call it polished instead of cleaned...

 

Jeremy

[Hoot]

Quite a number of commems were whizzed in the late 1960s and through the 70s. Most were EF to AU coins and still had a fair bit of their original detail. These coins, when whizzed, can appear to be BU to the untrained eye. Years ago, I bought one and learned the lesson the hard way.

 

The best way to detect a whizzed coin is to have the experience of seeing a lot of them. They can be quite deceptive. But for commems (and others as well), look for cartwheel luster. If that is absent, then the coin has been whizzed or polished. Many of the commems that wind up at flea markets, pawn shops, antique stores and malls, etc., are harshly cleaned or damaged. Simply avoid them until you've seen many of them.

 

Another line of defense is to get to know the commemorative series intimately well. Know what details should be present on each and every coin, and learn to look for key device markers on each one. There's nothing better than that kind of knowledge.

 

Whizzed coins are actually collected with some degree of welcome, believe it or not. There are a fair number of folks who like the appearance, accept the loss of detail on the coins, and simply want to know up-front that the coin is whizzed. Then, the bottom line is that it's cheap! For instance, a whizzed Hawaiian might run $300 vs. $3000 for one that has not been whizzed. So it goes.

 

If you sell the coin, sell it as a whizzed coin and you'll likely have a ready buyer, although you may lose some $$.

 

Hoot

[kryptonitecomics]

Can anyone post a high resolution scan of a wizzed coin?

[Hoot]

Yup.

 

 

Hoot

[kryptonitecomics]

Thanks. I just received an 1856 Seated Dime in the mail today. There's no doubt it's been cleaned since it's a blast white shiny VF, but If I post a scan could you tell if it's been whizzed?

[Hoot]

Doubtful to tell from a scan. Whizzed coins can re-tone and can be tough to tell, but check for cartwheel luster. If the coin lacks significant detail and appears polished, then whizzing is a likely cause of its alteration. If you can look at it with a high-powered loupe or a scope, you'll see tiny scratches over fields and devices alike. These will not be concentric like flow lines and will not be limited to the fields like die polish (which are raised lines).

 

"Shiny" versus "lustrous" features give away polished or whizzed pieces. Lack of detail is a key feature.

 

Hoot

[kryptonitecomics]

Doubtful to tell from a scan. Whizzed coins can re-tone and can be tough to tell, but check for cartwheel luster. If the coin lacks significant detail and appears polished, then whizzing is a likely cause of its alteration. If you can look at it with a high-powered loupe or a scope, you'll see tiny scratches over fields and devices alike. These will not be concentric like flow lines and will not be limited to the fields like die polish (which are raised lines).

 

"Shiney" versus "lustrous" features give away polished or whizzed pieces. Lack of detail is a key feature.

 

Hoot

 

You pretty much summed up the coin. Lack of detail and very shinny in the fields and on the devices. I just e-mailed the seller since I purchased another coin from him that I was happy with. I am also the high bidder on several other auctions so hopefully we can work something out.

 

Thanks again for the insight. Cleaned coins I know...Whizzed is not my expertise.