Thumbing

[MikeKing]

Can anyone explain to me...so I could better understand it...what exactly is going on from the micro to the macro level...with THUMBING

 

and if anyone can support this with photos, I'd appreciated it.

[bsshog40]

I'm not sure Mike. I have seen some pics here on the forum where someone might say it's been thumbed. I don't really know what you're asking but isn't this method used to maybe dull spots on a coin that may have been cleaned or something? Mostly to hide these spots in pics by a seller of a coin.

[MarkFeld]

Thumbing: "The rubbing of skin oil onto a coin in an attempt to hide contact marks"

[WoodenJefferson]

Nose oil works very well...the oils extruded by the skin on and around the nose.

 

Even old fisherman used to rub the connecting ferrels of their fishing rods around their nose so when it came time to take the rod down it was by far easier.

 

Morgan cheeks are a focal point of thumbers...gold seems to be the easiest to thumb.

 

edit: the surface oils difuse the light spectrum into all kinds of different angles, you have not really changed the surface physically, it just hides imperfections.

 

edit again:

Thumbed Morgan dollar. Oils from thumb were rubbed across coin's surface to

cover minor surface blemishes. Surfaces will turn brown after a period of time.

 

ATS info

[PerryHall]

Since most Morgan dollars have a frosty surfaces and bag marks leave a shiney surface, thumbing attempts to dull the shiney bag marks so there is less contrast with the surrounding surfaces so the bag marks are less obvious and less distracting. This is an effort to raise the coin's grade and value.

[James_OldeTowne]

It's usually done to Morgans. Contact marks and scratchs on Liberty's portrait lower the eye-appeal and grade, since they are shiny and distracting against the generally frosty portrait. By applying a random oily deposit to the shiny areas, the light that is being reflected is diffused, significantly reducing the effect of the shiny areas, causing them to "blend" into the surrounding frost. Thus, the coin appears less bagmarked than it really is, raising the perceived grade.

[Dwaine]

Will this leave any prints behind or since they are rubbing the prints get smudged.