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 Replies: 16 / Views: 17,919 |
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New Member
United States
43 Posts |
A recent submission to PCGS came back as "tooled" --what is tooled and. How can it be identified ?
Thanks to all
Best r
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2589 Posts |
It generally means repairing a coin through mechancial means, such as filling in a dent and polishing it and re-engraving the design details that were missing from the damage
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7488 Posts |
Tooled is when a coin has had details either reengraved, or enhanced, with an engraving tool or by other mechanical means. You usually see it on older circulated type coins (in the hair, feathers, etc). It sometimes is also done to high grade Mercury dimes (on the bands) or on the bell lines of high grade Franklin half dollars. It can usually be identified with a microscope or high powered glass. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
5828 Posts |
 Depends from coin to coin... Mostly it means that someone used a knife or a like tool to carve into a coin.
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Valued Member
United States
311 Posts |
Can you post a picture of the coin that came back tooled?
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Valued Member
146 Posts |
After attending many authentication/grading seminars since the 1970's and speaking w/many TPGS graders, and Finalizers over the years I'll add my thoughts to this thread:
It generally means repairing a coin through mechancial means, such as filling in a dent and polishing it and re-engraving the design details that were missing from the damage. ABSOLUTLY TRUE
Tooled is when a coin has had details either reengraved, or enhanced, with an engraving tool or by other mechanical means. ABSOLUTELY TRUE
Tooling also applies when a hole is plugged, and the plugged area is blended in to the rest of the immediate surroundings to disguise the plug. NO! A PLUG IS A REPAIR. ANY MOVEMENT OF METAL (NOT BUFFING, ETC) DONE TO HIDE THE PLUG IS THE TOOLING.
Note that deliberately engraving the surface of a coin WITHOUT the intent of enhancing the existing features is called "graffiti." NO, GRAFFITI IS LETTERS, SYMBOLS, OR NUMBERS.
Tooling is any mechanical action directed against the surfaces of a coin which adds metal to... ABSOLUTLY NOT! TOOLING NEVER ADDS ADDITIONAL METAL TO A COIN.
Depends from coin to coin... ABSOLUTELY NOT
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CCF Advertiser
United States
1533 Posts |
If Graffiti is removed and the resulting area is smoothed over, would the TPG call it tooled or smoothed? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1582 Posts |
I got this one not too long ago, but PCGS, on their site, doesn't indicate what was tooled on this coin.....just listed it as VF Details - damaged. Anyway, its a photo of a "tooled" coin.   |
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Valued Member
59 Posts |
IMO, yes. Tooling, burnishing, chasing all describe moving a coin's metal around the coins surface. Now, before anyone posts... whizzing, harsh cleaning, etc also move metal on a coins surface.
As I explain my PERSONAL view of tooling: If a sharp instrument is used to improve the design or remove something either raised (like corrosion); on (like carbon spots); or into like Corrosion pit, scratches,etc.) THAT IS TOOLING for me because the tooling leaves scratches into the coin.
Chasing or burnishing is also don with a "tool" however, any evidence of the smoothing-out is usually not sunk into the coin although in many cases the surface will appear to be "dished-out) at the place where the coin was repaired.
This is my opinion. That and the excellent info posted above should answer your questions.
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Valued Member
59 Posts |
If Graffiti is removed and the resulting area is smoothed over, would the TPG call it tooled or smoothed? Forgot to add the "quote" to the above post...LOL. IF the TPGS sees the smoothed out surface thy should probably call that a "Repaired Field." |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
768 Posts |
So does the tooling take away from the value of a coin?
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Valued Member
United States
413 Posts |
Quote:
So does the tooling take away from the value of a coin? *** Edited by Staff to add Quote tags. Please use them in the future. ***For sure.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3710 Posts |
Tooling is a very general term without definition constraints. Could be anything. I would first check for dent repair and engraved devices.
Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: https://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1855 Posts |
My understanding of tooling means a coin was altered so the design, lettering becomes more pronounced. Such as cutting small lines in hair or smoothing down the fields around the letters to make it appear the coin has less wear. Tooling can also be done to lower the fields to get rid of damage. It's done on ancient coins and modern coins. It lowers the value in my opinion. I think it's often done fraudulently trying make a coin grade higher.
Edited by livingwater
02/28/2025 6:33 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4081 Posts |
Quote: If Graffiti is removed and the resulting area is smoothed over, would the TPG call it tooled or smoothed? I don't know the answer but I do have one coin that was graded as "Smoothed" by PCGS. Only time I have seen that.
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New Member
United States
1 Posts |
"Tooling" is anything done to the surface of a coin by a person with an object hard enough to change its surface. Tooling takes many forms with separate names.
Spot Removal: Tooling scratches into the surface to remove a spot.
Re-engraved or Altered Design: Adding or strengthening a coin's original design details.
Burnishing: Smoothing out its surface.
Tooling: The actual removal of surface metal or corrosion products from a coin's surface.
Graffiti: Carving letters, numbers or a design that is foreign to the coin into its surface. When this is done artistically, it is called engraving.
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Replies: 16 / Views: 17,919 |
Posted 04/21/2016 9:04 pm
