1925 Peace dollar with mirror finish found in old diary

[Jack B-migration]

Hello, I have a 1925 Peace dollar that was found in an old diary. It was taped inside the cover. It has a mirror finish like a proof coin with the exception that the bust and eagle are also mirror finish instead of matt. I have 52 Peace dollars and this is by far is the shiniest coin I have seen. There is some slight toning on the obverse where the coin was exposed (not covered with tape) yet still smooth and mirror like. Where the tape was removed it is absolutely gorgeous. The reverse is a perfect mirror like condition where it was protected by the book cover. I have never seen a mirror finish on a Peace dollar. I know that there were no proof dollars minted this year. Has anyone seen a Peace dollar in a condition like this?

[EZ_E]

A photo would be helpful but my guess would be that it was polished by an individual a long time ago because mirrored proof Peace dollars do not exist as far as I know.

 

Be sure to follow up with us. Thanks for posting and hope to see you often!!

[Jack B-migration]

Thanks, how do I get a good scan of the coin? It is so shinny that it does not scan well?

 

Jack

[EZ_E]

Thanks, how do I get a good scan of the coin? It is so shinny that it does not scan well?

 

Jack

 

Sorry, can't help your there, Jack. Saturdays during the day are normally dead on the NGC boards. I'm sure that later on others should be able to help. But, maybe black felt behind the coin should help.

[nwcs]

You might rinse it in pure acetone as well to make sure you get all the tape adhesive remnants removed.

[Jack B-migration]

Thank you both! I will give it a try. It guess it reflects so much light that it will not scan well. In fact it looks so ugly in the scanned pictures that it does not look like the same coin.

Isn't it amazing what a 1200 dpi scan can tell you about your coin? You can zoom in so well and see all the scratches and marks unseen by the naked eye.

[nwcs]

If you want, PM me and you can send your pic to me and I'll do what I can to make it (perhaps) more indicative of what it actually looks like.

[Jack B-migration]

Here are the pictures. They look nothing like the actual coin.

 

Jack

 

[gmarguli]

The coin is polished or coated in mercury.

[nwcs]

My alterations of the scan may help.

 

[Jack B-migration]

Thanks for the altered pictures. I took it out of it's case and scanned it again and it still looks the same. The Scanner does not do very well with mirror finish on coins. I just tested a 1958 quarter with the same reflection as the Peace dollar. They both look similar after scanning.

 

Greg, did people really dip coins in mercury, and how can you polish a coin like this? Was it popular to do either of these back in the early to mid 1900's?

 

Thanks for all your help! I am learning a lot.

 

Jack

[Becky-migration]

I've sold polished coins on eBay, they are tough to scan, they turn out really dark. If there is a coin shop near you, take it and show it to them. They should be able to tell you right away if the coin is polished.

 

I bought a dremel not too long ago to try to help show what a whizzed and polished coin will look like. I polished the portrait on this Kennedy. It was very bright and shiny. The fields are untouched, that's what the coin should look like. It's also as hard to get a pic of the coin.....

 

[gmarguli]

Greg, did people really dip coins in mercury, and how can you polish a coin like this? Was it popular to do either of these back in the early to mid 1900's?

 

Yep, people really did do stuff like this coin coins. Any jewelry polish should provide this super-shiny effect.

[SilverDollarMan]

Nice job on the photo, Becky!

[Jack B-migration]

Thanks for everyones help. I hope you all do not mind all the questions.

 

Can you polish it without putting scratches on it?

 

There should be some type of pattern to the polishing or even dull fields within the hairlines where the polish/dremel cannot get if you zoom up on the coin right?

 

I know I just put a few scratches on the Obverse from cleaning the tape residue off with acetone and a Q-tip and I was very easy with it. OOPS! They are very difficult to see with the naked eye.

Thank you all again for your help.

 

Jack

[TomB]

There is likely another name for this, but something that is known as jeweler's rouge will impart a very shiny effect without leaving much of a trace, if any, of scratches. This is especially true if a soft cloth is also used.