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 Replies: 15 / Views: 1,746 |
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
I received a bent 1827 capped bust dime in the mail about a week ago, and thought I'd try to fix it by putting it under a textbook with weights on top. The bend was partially fixed, but I kept trying. This does work, but just be extremely careful that you lift whatever is on top of it in a perfectly vertical fashion. Also, putting a napkin under the coin could save it from this fate. I would imagine that a textbook would not have the same abrasive effect, but you might want to put it on both sides. Because now, my nice dime has a few bright white spots where the metal slid against the surface. Thankfully this was only a $30 coin at best (the grade is VG-10 or F-12), so my mistake is limited to $10.  |
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Rest in Peace
 United States
5375 Posts |
Well, at least now I have a unique looking coin. I've never, ever seen a coin with these kinds of spots  |
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Rest in Peace
United States
3039 Posts |
How much weight did you use? I wouldn't think that just weight would bend the coin without having to hammer it.
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
I used 25 lbs plus a bunch of textbooks, and over time it does kind of resolve the bend slightly....but beware.
Edited by coinguybrian
03/10/2009 02:14 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2335 Posts |
I've never ended up with a bent coin so take this with a grain of salt. I have a large bench vise in my workshop & have used it many times to take slight bends out of metal parts. To keep from damaging the surfaces of delicate parts I sandwich them in leather scraps. I don't see any reason this wouldn't work for a coin.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2600 Posts |
I have few patience. I use a toolmakers vise with brass jaw inserts (I guess brass) and heavy felt. Never do this with a good coin but has helped somethings I wanted to keep and was not afraid of killing.
Jim
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6381 Posts |
I posted some time back about an 1871-S Half Dime that I purchased, graded MS-63 by PCI. The coin appeared to be "dished" inside the holder, meaning that the obverse looked like it was bulging out while the reverse was slightly concave. It wasn't a bend in the sense of being folded and there was no visible damage. I sent the coin in the PCI holder to NGC for crossover and they rejected it, saying the coin was bent. I wasn't ready to give up. I cracked it out and placed it obverse side down on a flat surface, and sure enough it would rock back an forth. Definitely, the obverse was bulging. I covered the coin with two canvas scraps and then two flat rubber sheets, and put this package between steel plates. Then the whole assembly went onto an arbor press (which is a table-top manual device with a vertical ram and a long lever). By pulling down (hard!) on the lever I was able to gradually flatten the coin to the point that it would no longer rock. The surfaces appeared undamaged by this process. I sent the coin to PCGS and they graded it MS-63. It took probably 200 lbs of pressure applied to a long lever over a 1-inch square surface to correct the bend in my coin. I am surprised that 25 lbs plus some books would have much of an effect on your dime. I think using a vise would be much more effective. |
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New Member
United States
5 Posts |
It's OK lesson learned and it was a cheap one.
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Moderator
 United States
16677 Posts |
Ya, I use 2 thick leather pieces and a vice. Works pretty good.
Don't beat yourself up on that one ShadowCreator.
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2443 Posts |
Quote:
By pulling down (hard!) on the lever I was able to gradually flatten the coin to the point that it would no longer rock. The surfaces appeared undamaged by this process. I sent the coin to PCGS and they graded it MS-63. Nice job! Any photos of the coin? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6381 Posts |
Hi Amazon, Sure, here are some photos.    |
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New Member
United States
31 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2443 Posts |
Great job! Can't even tell that there was a problem with the coin. Maybe you could offer a service...
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
I'll be a 10 pound sledge would work just as well fixing that bend.
I've actually used a rubber hammer and as already noted leather. Tapped rather hard on the leather top and bottom and the coin came out fairly OK. Still a mark where the bend was.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8904 Posts |
You guys are VERY brave! I'm not sure I would have the guts to torque on a nice coin in a vise or hit it with a hammer!! It does, however, seem to work! That 1871S Half Dime is gorgeous!! Congratulations on the great grade! |
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Moderator
United States
16677 Posts |
Jaobler, that's awesome! PCGS slabbed your coin problem free. And a nice coin it is!
swcoin.ecrater.com
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Replies: 15 / Views: 1,746 |
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Posted 03/10/2009 01:27 am
