Cleaned Morgan? 0

[EagleRJO]

This coin was being auctioned at GC, and they are pretty good with identifying toned coins to include in the listing.  This Morgan caught my eye because it was not listed as being "toned", and actually looks like there is some black tarnish that has been partially removed, or cleaned.  Thoughts?

[RWB]

Dirty, not "tarnished."

[Mr.Bill347]

I don’t think it’s been cleaned Eagle, NGC would have caught that and labeled details, or genuine. If conservation had been done it should have removed the black stuff. It is currently a good price for a scarce date, and XF so seems like it would be ok.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Mr.Bill347

[Hoghead515]

When looking closely on the reverse it sort of does have that lightly cleaned look. Could be very old cleaning or something. I would think PCGS woulda caught it but humans make mistakes. 

Edited December 4, 2022 by Hoghead515

[EagleRJO]

On 12/4/2022 at 5:10 PM, RWB said:

Dirty, not "tarnished."

Agreed from looking a little closer.

On 12/4/2022 at 5:58 PM, Hoghead515 said:

When looking closely on the reverse it sort of does have that lightly cleaned look. Could be very old cleaning or something. I would think PCGS woulda caught it but humans make mistakes.

I was thinking it may have been a mistake too, or perhaps a very old light cleaning, without any significant hairlines or scratches, that they may have let slide.  It did have some indicators of having been cleaned such as dirt directly around and inside inscriptions, stars, olive branches, etc. but no real indication of that in the fields directly next to those areas, particularly on the reverse.

I have heard that there were so many of the Morgans which had at least a light cleaning ages ago when slabbing them became very common that the TPG's may have been a little lenient with that at the time.

Edited December 4, 2022 by EagleRJO

[Sandon]

There are light black encrustations on both sides of the coin that are frequently seen on older circulated coins and don't rise to the level of "environmental damage". From the photos I see no sign of improper "cleaning" or even the acceptable removal of dirt or other foreign matter by means that didn't abrasively or chemically change the surfaces of the coin. To the contrary, it looks like a nice, original example.  

[EagleRJO]

Thanks Sandon!  It is interesting that it can have that appearance with dirt just being deposited in limited areas of the fields. I thought I had seen a similar look with a details grade, but it probably was something else.

Now if I get the coin I just have to crack it out to clean off the dirt. 😜 

[Sandon]

   It's not at all uncommon, although some of the black substance could be the result of a corrosion process (another name for "toning" or "tarnish") or something else that couldn't be removed without damaging the coin. If acetone won't dissolve it, I'd leave it alone.  

[jimbo27]

What is the small blotch on top of the eagle's beak, it looks sort of green?

[Coinbuf]

The coin may have been dipped lightly at some previous time but not harshly cleaned.   I'm not a fan of the black streaks on the obv and the green stuff on the rev, but if you plan to crack it out anyway then a quick acetone dip would be in order.

[RWB]

On 12/4/2022 at 8:54 PM, jimbo27 said:

What is the small blotch on top of the eagle's beak, it looks sort of green?

Spinach....stuck to the inside of its beak.....  ?

[EagleRJO]

On 12/4/2022 at 8:48 PM, Sandon said:

... black substance could be the result of a corrosion process (another name for "toning" or "tarnish") ...

Maybe some horn silver?

@CoinbufI'm not a fan of the dark spots either, so I was looking at a pretty low number so if I won the bid I could submit it to NGC for conservation and crossover, with the end result still a good value. It went for more than that target, so it stays on my "want list" and on to the next one.

Edited December 5, 2022 by EagleRJO

[J P M]

It looks normal to me and it is a 93. I would not crack it out it is a good looking coin.

[Coinbuf]

On 12/4/2022 at 10:57 PM, EagleRJO said:

Maybe some horn silver?

@CoinbufI'm not a fan of the dark spots either, so I was looking at a pretty low number so if I won the bid I could submit it to NGC for conservation and crossover, with the end result still a good value. It went for more than that target, so it stays on my "want list" and on to the next one.

Just as well, those black streaks would likely not be affected by conservation.

[EagleRJO]

On 12/5/2022 at 3:13 PM, Coinbuf said:

Just as well, those black streaks would likely not be affected by conservation.

If the dark areas were in fact just dirt and grime, then you would think that could be removed.  Now it that was silver corrosion or part horn silver that's another story. That condition would likely require a quick dip In the pool.

Does anyone know exactly what NGC can and cannot remove as part of conservation?

Edited December 6, 2022 by EagleRJO

[VKurtB]

On 12/5/2022 at 6:02 PM, EagleRJO said:

If the dark areas were in fact just dirt and grime, then you would think that could be removed.  Now it that was silver corrosion or part horn silver that's another story. That condition would likely require a quick dip In the pool.

Does anyone know exactly what NGC can and cannot remove as part of conservation?

The proper question is “will and will not”. It has never been “can and cannot”.

[EagleRJO]

Okay, so does anyone know exactly what NGC will and will not remove as part of conservation?