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Old scotch tape and scuff removal on ngc holders?
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22 posts in this topic

I have taken stickers and things with adhesive off with some WD-40. I have never used it on a slab though. As far as polishing the scratches out of the slab, there are some products specifically for that. I believe one product is called Slab Renew and another is Novus. Some people use headlight restorer. It does take a little practice and some elbow grease. I have only tried it once and pretty much made it look worse. It can be done to a certain extent. It really depends on how bad the slab is. Some people can get them to come out really good. 

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There are a number of plastic polish products, I have had very good results with PlastX.   It will take some elbow grease and time but most of the scratches on your slab can be removed, a couple look to be too deep to fully remove.  As Bill mentioned Goo Gone or just simple alcohol will remove the tape residue.

What I do to help with the hard work is use a dremel with a soft polishing cloth wheel and the plastx, you just need to be careful to keep the dremel speed low.   Partly because you don't want to heat and warp the plastic, and if you have the speed up too high you will have plastix all over the room.  lol

 

Plastx.jpg

Edited by Coinbuf
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On 10/1/2022 at 10:35 AM, The Neophyte Numismatist said:

I have a similar question.  I have scotch tape on my new coin's holder.  I am scared to death to use Goo Gone, because (while I know the slab is sealed), this is a very old copper coin.  

As you have a new holder the tape should also be new and thus not leave much if any residue when removed.   In your case I would suggest just alcohol, get the 90 or 99% stuff not the 70%, and stay away from the edges as much as possible.   Alcohol evaporates very quickly and I have never had any adverse reaction to using either alcohol or the plastx products on any of my slabbed copper.   Goo Gone works better if the residue is old and thick.

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I appreciate the information. Years ago I attempted  miracle fix the scratches on my sunglass material at the time...total disaster. The tape is holding two seperate coin holders together, I hadn't separated that stack yet when I took the pic. The other coin is the same, date, grade, etc.

 

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On 10/1/2022 at 11:58 AM, Liam ll said:

I appreciate the information. Years ago I attempted  miracle fix the scratches on my sunglass material at the time...total disaster. The tape is holding two seperate coin holders together, I hadn't separated that stack yet when I took the pic. The other coin is the same, date, grade, etc.

 

 

 

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@Liam ll, something to add on the old slabs you have.   The plastx and other cleaners will be fine for the obv of the slabs.   however, those holograms on the rev will be totally eaten up by everything that has been mentioned or recommended so far, including my recommendations.   I would suggest that you do not try and remove the tape from that area of the rev, use a sharp hobby knife (X-acto) and cut the tape at the very top of the hologram and leave the tape in place.   Those old fattie holograms are very fragile and if you pull the tape off it is highly likely that the hologram will come off with the tape.   Same issue with any polish or solvents/alcohol, those will dissolve and remove the hologram.

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On 10/1/2022 at 9:44 PM, USAuPzlBxBob said:

Stop being so cheap.  Get your coin reholdered.

I like the old holders on most coins.   

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On 10/2/2022 at 4:32 AM, J P M said:

I like the old holders on most coins.   

Most knowledgeable collectors understand the value that the market attaches to an old holder, obviously there are some people that have no clue.  :roflmao:

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On 10/2/2022 at 3:33 PM, Coinbuf said:

Most knowledgeable collectors understand the value that the market attaches to an old holder, obviously there are some people that have no clue.  :roflmao:

And, I am not sure that Liam has been made aware of this fact yet. It is generally agreed that the coins in older NGC holders (without the indention below the label) are more conservatively graded than coins graded more recently. This is not a hard and fast rule, of course - there naturally are exceptions, but coins in the "old fatty" holder are likely to be solid for the grade at least, and under graded (by current standards) at best.

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On 10/2/2022 at 4:33 PM, Coinbuf said:

Most knowledgeable collectors understand the value that the market attaches to an old holder, obviously there are some people that have no clue.  :roflmao:

All this talk, this constant refrain I hear on the Forum... "Don't buy the holder," etc.  Sorry, but if someone sold me a coin in a holder like that, I would reject it outright.  I don't want to contemplate the negative possibilities:  maybe the coin was switched out; maybe the holder is not secure; maybe a superglue of some kind was used to hold it together; maybe the holder is no longer hermetically sealed; maybe it is no longer water-resistant if not waterproof, if it ever was. One member suggests re-holdering as a solution. But before I do that, I need absolute confidence in the product's integrity.  That's why coins are encapsulated in the first place: to eliminate any and all guesswork!

Edited by Quintus Arrius
Miscellaneous die-polishing.
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On 10/2/2022 at 7:43 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

All this talk, this constant refrain I hear on the Forum... "Don't buy the holder," etc.  Sorry, but if someone sold me a coin in a holder like that, I would reject it outright.  I don't want to contemplate the negative possibilities:  maybe the coin was switched out; maybe the holder is not secure; maybe a superglue of some kind was used to hold it together; maybe the holder is no longer hermetically sealed; maybe it is no longer water-resistant if not waterproof, if it ever was. One member suggests re-holdering as a solution. But before I do that, I need absolute confidence in the product's integrity.  That's why coins are encapsulated in the first place: to eliminate any and all guesswork!

 Quintus...You have to read the whole thread to understand the tape was to hold two of the same coins in there holders together. Also this whole set was handed down to Liam II it was not a purchase.

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@J P M:

I did--from the initial post. There are things people do in other hobbies that are simply unacceptable in ours. A rubber band, for example, is but one. Scotch tape, glue, chemical baths are another. We have seen unintended psychedelic toning as a result of the close proximity of, or contact with ill-advised materials. Coin supplies routinely used in the hobby generations ago are avoided now. We are taught to hold coins on the edges, for a reason. We learn collectively from experience.

***

Maybe the conservationists at NGC ought to consider a running a regular feature for the benefit of the dedicated collector showing before and after pictures of problematic coins/holders as a public educational reference. [Anyone remember how the Smithsonian stuck coins to display boards with glue?  I would like to think we have come a long way from that.] First Day of Issue postage stamps printed by the BEP are/were routinely affixed to envelopes and canceled. We do not do that with coins but with quality control clearly lacking at the USM, some errors and varieties due to poor equipment maintenance are now touted as rare and unusual finds.  That errant banana sticker on a bank note is a good example. No reputable dealer I know would ever resort to using scotch-brand or any other tape, to a coin holder. One coin dealer routinely affixes a comparatively thicker sticker to protect the portrait of a slabbed coin to proect it in transit much the way a thin protective film is used to protect smartphones.

Edited by Quintus Arrius
Routine die-polishing.
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@Lem E  @Coinbuf  @Just Bob @J P M Not to change the subject here nor rob this member's thread, but along the same lines I have a question that you may be able to answer.   Do you fellas or anyone else know if it is possible to restore a loupe lens? I only use Belomo brand triplet style loupes, predominately their 10x.  I have had great luck with them over the years and they are very durable with zero distortion (and not too expensive).  Over time, after repeatedly wiping/cleaning the domed lens with an appropriate very soft lens rag, the lens coating becomes ever so slightly scratched and hazy.  This leads to a bit of blurriness when viewing coins.  I would have started a new thread, but figured I ask here since this is sort of still on topic.  Thanks!  

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On 10/3/2022 at 11:45 AM, GBrad said:

@Lem E  @Coinbuf  @Just Bob @J P M Not to change the subject here nor rob this member's thread, but along the same lines I have a question that you may be able to answer.   Do you fellas or anyone else know if it is possible to restore a loupe lens? I only use Belomo brand triplet style loupes, predominately their 10x.  I have had great luck with them over the years and they are very durable with zero distortion (and not too expensive).  Over time, after repeatedly wiping/cleaning the domed lens with an appropriate very soft lens rag, the lens coating becomes ever so slightly scratched and hazy.  This leads to a bit of blurriness when viewing coins.  I would have started a new thread, but figured I ask here since this is sort of still on topic.  Thanks!  

If we are talking about glass, I use Cerium Oxide. Here is a link to just one source. There is a " how to mix & how to use" tutorial at the bottom of the page.

Link here

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On 10/3/2022 at 1:34 PM, Just Bob said:

If we are talking about glass, I use Cerium Oxide. Here is a link to just one source. There is a " how to mix & how to use" tutorial at the bottom of the page.

Link here

Absolutely perfect Bob!  This is probably just what I need.  I will be ordering it today.  Thank you very much for your prompt reply to my question.  Much appreciated!!

Edit: Yes, they are glass lens.  

 

Edited by GBrad
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