Mercury Dime - Cleaned, Polished, Dipped, OK?

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Author	Replies: 10 / Views: 1,610
LibertyEagle20 Pillar of the Community United States 1191 Posts	Posted 04/25/2016 5:35 pm I got a lot of Mercury dimes the other day. The only "mint state" example I have to compare them to is a MS67-FB which has a ton of luster. These don't have the normal cartwheel luster as a mint state example but they also don't look as dull as a polished coin. To make matters more complicated they have VERY good detail (for example the bands and lines in the fasces on the back has all the lines going through it but it's not FSB). I also see no indication of tiny scratches when looking under a loupe. I also don't see dirt or dark spots around the numbers, etc (hard to reach areas usually left behind when polished). I've tried to attach pictures but I'm sure they will be too blurry. What's going on with these coins? Is this what they would consider dipped? Maybe these are OK but something just seems a little off. Edited by LibertyEagle20 04/25/2016 7:16 pm Report this Post to the Staff

Onedollarbillnut Pillar of the Community United States 745 Posts	Posted 04/25/2016 5:38 pm Does it have sharp, square edges Tim Hughes Report this Post to the Staff
John1 Moderator United States 56855 Posts	Posted 04/25/2016 6:10 pm Need better pics but going by what you said I think it is plated. John1 Edited by John1 04/25/2016 6:11 pm Report this Post to the Staff
panzaldi Bedrock of the Community United States 18670 Posts	Posted 04/25/2016 6:59 pm could be plated or polished. the pics are not sharp enough to tell in any c ASE Report this Post to the Staff
LibertyEagle20 Pillar of the Community United States 1191 Posts	Posted 04/25/2016 7:07 pm Here's the thing.. it's not an "it." I actually have several hundred of these. All in this same exact condition. I just keep going back and forth on them. I moved them to my most lighted room and tried to take more pictures. They don't look nearly as polished under bright lights as I originally thought. I just find it odd they still have such good details (especially on the reverse, all have the full "rope lines" but none are FSB). I also don't see tiny scratches under a loupe but I know not all cleanings leave an obvious trace. It's entirely possible someone plated or polished them all but there's just so many that look exactly the same it seems odd. Is it possible they are AU and that's just how the luster wears away? Again, the only sure fire "good" Mercury dime I have to compare to is a slabbed MS67 which has blazing luster. I tried to post more pictures of a small sample but I still don't know if it's going to be good enough. Edited by LibertyEagle20 04/25/2016 7:08 pm Report this Post to the Staff
T-BOP Rest in Peace United States 18456 Posts	Posted 04/25/2016 9:05 pm They look polished to me. coins show wear and should not look like these. maybe a polishing cloth ? Report this Post to the Staff
LibertyEagle20 Pillar of the Community United States 1191 Posts	Posted 04/25/2016 10:14 pm Yeah T-BOB, looking back at my known good one there's no doubt they are polished. I don't see the scratches so maybe they just didn't need to be polished as much since they are lightly worn. I don't understand why someone would polish coins in this condition though, I'd have to say most if not all are high XF/AU details. If they had just left them alone they would have been nice coins. I certainly got burned @ $85 a roll but it could have been a lot worse I guess. I'd still take these over well worn ones (due to the weight alone) but they are pretty much junk since they got polished Report this Post to the Staff
Alan Pillar of the Community Canada 1463 Posts	Posted 04/25/2016 10:35 pm 85 a roll isn't bad? looks polished. Common when you're buying a roll for 85$. Report this Post to the Staff
John1 Moderator United States 56855 Posts	Posted 04/26/2016 05:09 am Going by the new pics they look polished. I see the shadowing around a lot of the letters, a sign of being cleaned/polished in the past. Maybe they were meant to be used in jewelry? John1 Report this Post to the Staff
Coinfrog Bedrock of the Community United States 94367 Posts	Posted 04/26/2016 4:35 pm Agree. The amount of wear differs considerably among the coins. Report this Post to the Staff
LibertyEagle20 Pillar of the Community United States 1191 Posts	Posted 04/26/2016 5:12 pm Frustrating as the seller doesn't accept refunds. I would push harder but for the price per roll I don't think I'm going to fight over it. So would you say these are only worth melt now? Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 10 / Views: 1,610

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