Encapsulation Coin of the Month
From improper cleaning to tooling to artificial toning, there are many things that can render a coin ineligible for grading with a major grading service such as NGC. Most of these damaging practices are simply misguided attempts at making a coin appear better than it really is. Such attempts don’t work. When a coin is called “altered surfaces,” this is often an attempt to make a coin appear better than it actually is, and the end result is irreversible damage. For example, surface alterations are often made to add the impression of a cameo on a proof coin or to try and erase the evidence of contact marks.
This 1888 O Morgan Silver Dollar was recently submitted for NCS details grading after being deemed a no grade coin by a major grading service due to irreversible damage. A series of circular scratches, the deepest of which ends in Liberty’s lower eyelid, can be seen on Liberty’s face. This surface alteration is likely the result of an attempt to remove contact marks from a highly visible place in the Morgan Dollar design. The result of these alterations, however, is serious damage.
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