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 Replies: 16 / Views: 5,554 |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
Was this done to enhance to the coin's appearance and give the high and low points greater contrast? I could conceive of that, or a couple of other equally-greasy motives, depending on the original seller. Depending on the auction, blame could also lie with the auctioneer, since it'd be tough to package a coin in storage or regular ownership with a finish like that. Obviously, the stuff has to go away before you can form an intelligent opinion of the quality of the coin you bought. Do a Forum Search for "acetone," learn the proper usage which we've discussed many times here, and have a go at the coin with it. That should suffice, and then you can see exactly what you actually received. |
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Valued Member
 United States
154 Posts |
Frankly, I'm afraid to even touch coins this old with my fingers, let alone nail polish remover (acetone). I've heard of people "smoking" coins to give them an aged patina. I have no idea what that is... and to tell the truth, I don't want to know. One person hinted in their ad that she and her husband, "were smokers... if you catch my drift." Needless to say, I didn't buy any more coins from them.
The dirty grease thing caught me off guard, since I paid $200 for the coin and expected pristine.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9796 Posts |
There is a product on the market for darkening copper coins called "Dellers Darkener" it leaves the coin a bit oily, it works okay, I don't use it myself though, as I don't alter coins I own or sell, though I've tried it, it looks a bit like vaseline, defintely contains some sort of petroluem products I'm guessing. Never tried it on silver but it sounds kind of like what the OP is describing. http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/del...arkener.htmlOlive oil will remove it completely, so they say. An acetone soak should remove what ever you have on your coin without any damage at all. What does the coin smell like? That is a good test to start with. "Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector. See my want page: http://goccf.com/t/140440 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2596 Posts |
This is too bad. I bet you cant return it either because you took it out of the original holder? Well you learned the hard way not to buy from this dealer again. I would push for a return and the reason- coin not as described or altered. $200 is alot of money to get burnt on.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Quote:
I'm afraid to even touch coins this old with my fingers, let alone nail polish remover (acetone). Nail polish remover and Acetone are NOT the same thing, do not use them interchangeably. Some nail polish removers may contain acetone but it will also contain alot of other things you do not want on your coin(dyes, fragrances, nail conditioners, etc). |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2797 Posts |
Did you smell the substance? A popular way to hide defects and create an aged effect on early silver coins was to immerse them in tobacco smoke. The tars would create a seemingly natural tone to the surface, but they couldn't eliminate that smell. Give it the "sniff test".  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10047 Posts |
I hate to add this note - but I know for a fact the Chinese fakers were somehow coloring their coins darker to make them look more authentic. I know b/c I deliberately got some fakes to learn about them. The dark coloring came off easily like you said.
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Valued Member
United States
154 Posts |
(Reaction) He gulped and sweat broke out on his face because he remembered what he paid for that coin...
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10047 Posts |
can you post some close-up pics? What kind of holder was it in? If it was slabbed, couldn't the number be traced? There is info posted on some of the grading co.'s that tell how to recognize a fake slab.
What year/mm is it? I have pics form the website that used to list the main counterfeiter's stuff and can probably post a pic here so you could compare them.
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Valued Member
United States
154 Posts |
It was a Seated Liberty half that I purchased on ebay earlier this month (already in the vault). I'm not going to slam any dealer on ebay because I don't know if any post on this website and also disparaging remarks could be considered slander. However, I'll try to find the coverage pix I take when I receive my coins and post them later. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10047 Posts |
Let me know the date and I can get the pic of the fake for you - I am not sure if it will help or not - but it will be a start
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Valued Member
United States
154 Posts |
I apologize for the quality of the picture. I realized that I put this coin in the vault without taking its picture first, so this is how it was listed.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10047 Posts |
No problem on the picture. Now that I know yours is an 1877-this is good news. Because I looked through the list of pictures and inventory this guy made/makes and there is no 1877. Here is a total list of what he does make: Replica Seated Liberty Half-dollar Replicas 1861 Confederate Half-dollar 1850 P, O 1851 P, O 1852 P, O 1853 O 1866 P, S 1870 S, CC 1871 S, CC 1872 P, S, CC 1873 P, S, CC (for some reason he had these listed twice if they were like his other listings it was because he was offering an uncirculated version also) 1874 P, S, CC (also listed twice) 1878 P, S, CC 1879 through 1890 P mint only. And for the fun of it here is a picture of one of his fake Seated halves he sells:  I can almost guarantee if this replica coin was in hand and you rub it with a white cloth the results would be the same as you found with yours. The few fakes I got from him that looked like this were covered with this substance (whatever it is) and could be wiped clean. He was the major seller on ebay of replica coins who used to have pages and pages of copies for auction from all different countries-until ebay kicked them off. His was the company that was featured in many articles across the web concerning Chinese replica coins. Since his inventory does not carry one of your date, it made me feel a bit better about your coin. I am not saying this guy is the only counterfeiter out there, but he was/is the largest. Edited by Earle42
01/30/2012 2:05 pm
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Valued Member
United States
154 Posts |
And the scary part is, that coin looks amazing. If it were up for auction, I would bid on it! I'm going to make a copy of your post and keep it on file. Thank you, very much.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10047 Posts |
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Replies: 16 / Views: 5,554 |
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Posted 01/22/2012 11:35 pm
