Sold on Conservation

[Grumps]

I guess everyone collects in their own way. I don't consider myself a high end collector and you'll rarely find a coin in my collection that is worth more than a few hundred dollars. You wouldn't think that this would make me a good canidate for submitting coins to NCS for conservation. I didn't think so either. My collections stem from completing dates and varieties for completion of the collection. I can't afford to put high end pieces in every slot, but I enjoy the hunt to fill the slots and complete the collection. I also like putting together type sets to show the changes of coins over time and I will occasionally pick up and odd piece that I just enjoy the way it looks. As you can imagine, I've acquired some pretty low end, nasty looking coins just to fill the slots in my collections. Most of them are of no great value except for maybe some of the key dates which are still lower end pieces. As an experiment recently, I decided to give NCS services a try to see if there would be any value for a collector like myself. I submitted three coins, a 1798 8 Reales Pillar Dollar that is one of the favorite coins in my collection, a 1893 Columbian Exposition Half Dollar Proof (questionable) and a 1931-S Lincoln Cent that had a really nasty clear and purple stain on the reverse of the coin. I paid less than $200 for all three coins and figured it would be a good test to see if a low end collector would have any need for conservation services at all.

 

I received my first coin back the other day. The 1798 Pillar Dollar was returned after conservation. It is my favorite coin in my collection because it has more history, detail and class than any other coin in my collection. I wish I had done before scans on the coin, as it had some grimy black soot and dirt on both sides of the coin that really detracted from the coin. I felt the coin had a lot of potential as I could tell there was probably some underlying luster and detail that you just couldn't see. With all the detail on the edge of the coin and on each side, I didn't want to get it encapsulated to cover up all the beautiful details and when I received it, I was amazed at the results! NCS had removed the majority of the black sooty material on the coin and the luster of the coin was so bright, it was almost as if it were just struck. The only thing that kept you from knowing that it hadn't just been struck was the wear on the coin. While it's just a scan and doesn't really do the coin justice in person, I've included an uploaded scan of the coin for your viewing.

 

The 1893 Columbian Expo Half Dollar I submitted was basically done out of despiration. I couldn't find any supporting any information to help me verify whether it was actually a proof coin or not. There were only 100 of them made during that year and I didn't have the expertise to judge the authenticity of the coin. This is another excellent service that NCS provides. Their authentication services. I have gotten a verbal acknowledgement that the coin is actually a fake, so NCS saved me a tremendous amount of trouble by verifying this for me.

 

It excites me now to wait and see what the 1931-S Lincoln Cent will return. While the coin wasn't in the best of shape, it proably had some potential if the stains could be removed from the coin. Since it was a key date coin, if it survived conservation and met the standards for NGC grading, then I asked to have it graded. It makes it exciting now to see how it will be returned and if it will have the same results as the other coin did.

 

My point in all of this is that you don't have to deal in high end coins to use NGC's conservation services. I'm sold on conserving my favorite pieces if nothing else just for their sentimental value or whatever type of value you want to call it. If I ever deal in high end coins, they'll be the first on my list for those too, but any coin regardless of its monetary value is a canidate for conservation if you feel any personal attachment or value to it.

 

Just my two cents worth on the great value of conservation!

 

Greg

[CHRISS]

I am glad to see you have experience what good professional conservation could do for your coins. While conserving the 8 Reales you have imaged we were careful to remove the offending residues but careful not to remove all color from the piece which would have led to an unnatural looking coin.

 

There are many times when professional conservation would help a coin but it may not be for financial reasons. We really enjoy conserving coins that have been submitted not necessarily because of any potential gain but for the individual collector's pride.

 

Chris, NCS

[EZ_E]

we were careful to remove the offending residues but careful not to remove all color from the piece which would have led to an unnatural looking coin.

 

I noticed that! Good job.

 

 

Oh, btw, when is NCS going to publish a do-it-yourself guide?