Mercury Dimes 1940 & 1944 1 1

[Halbrook Family]

When I go to the local coin shop I buy a extra $20 or $30 each time for junk silver mercury dimes. I got a few hundred of them. You can't really tell from the photos but these two are different. They are wore out I know that but they have a shiny look to them not on the others. 1944 didn't have a proof set but 1944 does. Were these just cleaned and polished coins? I'm not trying to make them out to be anything more then $2 coins. Well the 1940 is a D anyways. I don't think I have ever seen a 1936 to 1955 proof set. Would that be a cleaning mark in front of the face on the 1940 one? 

Edited February 26 by Halbrook Family

[Sandon]

   These coins were either polished with metal polish or plated. Either form of improper treatment will result in an unnaturally shiny surface. Even if the 1940 dime had been struck as a proof, it would not retain a mirror (not "shiny") surface worn down to Fine grade as it is.  

   FYI, an untoned proof "Mercury" dime looks like this 1942 (PCGS graded PR 66):

 

 

Edited February 26 by Sandon

[powermad5000]

I will respectfully disagree with Sandon on this particular post. These two dimes you posted were neither polished or plated. They were merely improperly cleaned. You can see the crud in the areas where the cleaning could not reach. Also with these both being circulated, they were probably cleaned at some point and then circulated some more to gain a little more crud but the circulation gives the high points that appearance since they were previously cleaned.

[Halbrook Family]

On the 1940 around the head it looks cleaned to me. The coin didn't come out polished but it sure does look like that. Almost like something was sprayed on it though t kind of looks like a proof in some re guards. Though they are both wore.

The wings on the ears stand for  "Freedom of thought" I just learned.  Somewhere along the line we lost that for a bit there.