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 Replies: 18 / Views: 4,211 |
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Valued Member
United States
314 Posts |
I am starting to collect a full set of Franklins (Business Strikes and Proofs).
I have seen a few references in this forum to the term "dipping", which I presume means they have "dipped" the coin in a silver cleaning solution..
I am putting together a collection of nice brightFranklins (not toned or rainbowed - I like the nice bright white look on Franklins).
Most of what I am getting are in 2x2s from coin shows and local coin stores that I "generally trust", but a coin in a 2x2 is pretty much "buyer beware"... I would doubt they would note if it is "cleaned" or "dipped"..
Is there any way to tell if a Franklin has been "dipped" if I am not buying slabbed coins? (presume if it is dipped the slab would say "cleaning" or such).. but what I am getting are raw coins in pouches or 2x2s.
Thanks.
Michael
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
If a coin is properly dipped you won't know and those coins do NOT get details grades when submitted, it will still show a nice luster and likely be an attractive coin. Improperly cleaning and dipping are very things. Now if a coin is over-dipped yes it will likely get a details grade and appear lifeless
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
The Franklin series is blessed with a very open obverse, which helps determining both dipping and cleaning.
Because they have large fields and the bust is pretty "empty" you have a lot of the obverse that doesn't have any design elements.
The luster, which results from the microscopic push of the metal toward the rim, as it struck, is harmed by dipping because that removes a small amount of the surface of the coin.
If there are breaks in the luster in those largely clear areas, it may be dipped, or it could have seen brief circulation.
What you want to see is the luster going from each side of the coin as you tilt it under a light. If that luster remains equal without breaks in the luster it is likely uncirculated and uncleaned or dipped.
There are exceptions to this rule, but this will give a good start.
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Quote:
The luster, which results from the microscopic push of the metal toward the rim, as it struck, is harmed by dipping because that removes a small amount of the surface of the coin.
If there are breaks in the luster in those largely clear areas, it may be dipped, or it could have seen brief circulation. Not true. You can't tell a coin has been dipped when it has been properly dipped. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
How do you dip a coin without removing some of the surface of the coin?
You say there is an undetectable way to do it.
Please explain.
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Quote:
You say there is an undetectable way to do it.
A properly dipped one is undetectable. People just assume it was for looking to good for it's age. If you can tell something was dipped it was either dipped to long or not properly rinsed afterwards. If it's done right the coin will retain its normal luster and ugly coins will generally grade better afterwards Edited by basebal21
10/22/2017 2:51 pm
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
When and if I dip a coin it's only for 1 to 3 seconds . I cannot see the coin loosing some of it's surface for this amount of time, even using high magnification .  |
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
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How do you dip a coin without removing some of the surface of the coin?
You say there is an undetectable way to do it.
Please explain. Dipping (by the definition we're using) always removes some of the coin's surface. Done right, including having a favorable candidate coin for the process, the coin has enough to spare that the result is not visible even to an expert. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
Absolutely agree.  |
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Moderator
United States
188130 Posts |
Quote:
Dipping (by the definition we're using) always removes some of the coin's surface. Done right, including having a favorable candidate coin for the process, the coin has enough to spare that the result is not visible even to an expert. I agree. This is a skill that requires finesse. And practice. A lot of practice. You will probably ruin several coins before you get it right, if you ever get it right at all. It is something that typically only works once per coin. The next time could ruin it. This is important to realize because it could be you who is dipping a coin for its second time. If the first time was done properly, you would never know it. This is why it is something I will never attempt. My time is better spent getting myself a satisfactory coin in the first place.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Norway
1358 Posts |
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The next time could will ruin it. There, I fixed it for you. |
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Moderator
United States
188130 Posts |
Funny thing is that is closer to how I originally worded it: The next time would ruin it.  |
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Valued Member
United States
174 Posts |
I saw a YouTube video where they would dip their junk silver to make it look better. It seems like a good option if dipping only junk silver that was not under-graded and is really only worth the silver value alone. I understand not using it on junk coins that were under-graded and have some numismatic value on top of the silver value. Am I off base thinking it OK/good in this instance?
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
You buy junk silver purely for the intrinsic value of the base metal. Why would appearance matter? And why would you want to remove some of that metal - lessening the weight - to make it so?
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Valued Member
United States
174 Posts |
I assume they are attracting more bidders/buyers when selling their junk...I don't see most junk silver sold by weight, but instead by face value. If this is the case it would not matter to them if it did weigh less. They probably end up with a higher priced sale with better looking coins. Am I off on my read here SsuperDdave?
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
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Am I off on my read here SsuperDdave? Not necessarily; I'm not into that market and am well aware of the bizarre behavior buyers can display. You could be right. Percentage of face is just the method of quantifying how much you're selling/asking/buying which has developed over the years. It makes things easier to visualize, especially considering most junk silver is 90% and to offer/buy as metal weight you'd either have to do a conversion or trust one has been done. |
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Replies: 18 / Views: 4,211 |
Posted 10/22/2017 12:14 pm
