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Dissapoinment 1923 $20 St. Gaudens - Cleaned

Started by rbrown4,

12 posts in this topic

rbrown4

rbrown4

Posted
Posted

To my sincere disappointment the 1923 D St. Gaudens that we have came back from NGC as Improperly Cleaned. For the life of me, I can not determine what they see that indicates this. Being fairly new to this world, I was wondering if anyone had some thoughts. I realize that it may be limiting due to the pics. The odd shades are just a result of the pic. Perhaps it is the shinier area in the inner field that they noted.

 

thanks,

 

IMG_0001-1.jpg

 

IMG_0002-1.jpg

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bsshog40

bsshog40

Posted
Posted

That is a shame for such a nice coin. I wish I had more expertise in this but I would bet you may be right with your conclusion.

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MikeKing

MikeKing

Posted
Posted

I can understand your disapointment. I'd have to examine the coin myself to figure out what's going on. Some people on this board my be able to comment from the photo, but I can't. Another reason to buy through a reputable dealer or have someone look at auction pieces for you if you can't do it yourself.

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TJ'S Coins

TJ'S Coins

Posted
Posted

The field left of Liberty on the obverse looks like it has been harshly cleaned. There are spots or abrasions evident from an attempt to clean the coin. Also the color seems off for a gold St. Gauden's. Sorry that it was body-bagged with your submission but I can see why from the pictures.

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DaveG

DaveG

Posted
Posted

"Improperly Cleaned" usually means the coin has been exposed to an abrasive (toothpaste, pencil eraser, etc.) or a harsh chemical, such as acid.

 

If the coin has been exposed to an abrasive, you should be able to see fine scratchmarks (sometimes parallel) concentrated in the area that was cleaned. Take a magnifying glass (5x is best) and look at the coin under a light source - be sure to rotate it to catch the light.

 

If the coin has been exposed to a harsh chemical, it should be a "wrong" color. Your best bet is to look at a lot of coins in person to see if your coin's color is "wrong".

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Mirrored Morgan

Mirrored Morgan

Posted
Posted

Hard to tell from your pictures, but it still looks like you have some luster left on the obverse. The devices on the obverse and reverse look like they have had some cleaning, since it looks like no luster is left. Maybe someone tried to shine her up at one time to make the coin look shiney.

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rbrown4

rbrown4

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thank you all very much for the input. This coin has been in the family collection, protected for over 40 years, so at some point prior to our aquiring it, someone did something.

 

I have been unable to find any parallel lines that would indicate rubbing or abrasion across the surface, but it is what it is and still nice to look at.

 

Thanks again.

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jtryka

jtryka

Posted
Posted

The color doesn't strike me as too unusual from the photos (I've seen lots of Saints tone this rose gold color), and the obverse doesn't appear to have signs of harsh cleaning at least in the photo. It may have telltale luster breaks from some treatment, but I can't tell from the photo.

 

The reverse however, looks like it's been seriously dipped, which in my mind would account for the body bag, and also suggests that the obverse may look different than your photo in hand. It also seems that the TPGs have been much tighter on any sort of cleaning on common date Saints lately too, so that may also have been a factor.

 

Sorry for your experience, but at least it wasn't a raw key date that you purchased!

 

Also, Bruce, that may be appropriate color for a 1920, but in this series, color can and does vary considerably from year to year, and from mint to mint within given years So it's best to judge color based on comparable years rather than generalize.

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silverhawk

silverhawk

Posted
Posted

Actually, photographing it again but, this time take it out of the mylar or vinyl you have it in. It might get a better review here. Photographically most vinyl and mylar have a "color" that filters.

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MBA101

MBA101

Posted
Posted

I think it would need an in-hand examination. Take it to a dealer and ask. But then again, sometimes it is very difficult to tell anything,,,

 

Put it aside, and when gold gets up over $1000, sell...

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