Quote:
Originally Posted by glchen
BTW, it looks like NGC does a security scan for all graded coins for free: Link.
The weird thing about coins is that there is something called "dipping" in coins, which looks like it is basically putting the coin in something like an acid bath to remove the outer patina, and thus making the coin look "whiter." And this is somewhat accepted in coin collecting community, and the major TPG's like PCGS and NGC still grade these types of coins with a number grade, and do not give them the "CLEANED" qualifier that it does to other coins that are cleaned in a different way. (This is like an extreme form of soaking for cards, I guess, but most anyone in the card community would say that if you used chemicals to soak a card, that is card doctoring.) Anyway, supposedly CAC, which is a coin grading company founded by one of the original founders of NGC, who later left, will only put their sticker of approval on coins that have not been dipped. |
Dipping isn't really an acid type of thing, and while it's accepted it should be used with a bit of restraint.
Silver coins will tarnish over time. Depending on exactly how they tarnish it can be really good or really bad. Some become almost unrecognizable brownish/blackish lumps. Others end up with a wonderful rainbow like sheen.
The former really should be dipped. It's essentially just putting the coin in silver jewelry cleaner for a while until the ugly tarnish is gone.
The second sort shouldn't be dipped, The really nice looking ones usually bring a nice premium over both dipped or tarnished coins.
And
http://www.jhonecash.com/coins/tonedmorgans.asp