1853-O Artificial toning

[jackson64]

 

I purchased an 1853-O Seated Liberty Half Dollar in an ANACS slab with MS details-- artificially toned...the toning is dark, I know the coin is authentic, and I have taken it to my lab and looked at it under VERY high magnification and does not appear to have been cleaned..just toned. Will NGC still grade/encapsulate a coin that was previously artificially toned?........PS: The only reason I can see why some *spoon* might have toned it are a few minor pin-scratches and 2 die breaks which the aforementioned *spoon* might have mistaken for damage..

 

Also if it can only be lightened and not completely restored would this preclude an NGC grading?...There are only a very few known examples of this date/mint of this quality

 

[CHRISS]

A coin that has been artificially toned can be conserved. The problem generally with coins that are artificially toned is that color has been added in an attempt to hide something. Most often it is used to hide imporper cleanings but at times it is to hide contact marks such as what your examination has concluded. If the color is hiding contact marks, and those contact marks will not cause the coin to "no grade" with NGC, then we may attempt to remove the artificial color. This situation is, however, the execption more often than the rule. It would be best to submit this coin to determine for certain whether professional conservation may help it become a problem free graded coin. I would not be able to determine whether there is an underlying surface problem from an image.

 

Chris, NCS