Nickadate

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coins_usa
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Nickadate

#1 Unread post by coins_usa »

If you nickadate a nickel, find out its rare, then submit it to a TPG, would it come back as a problem coin? (ex.) Cleaned, altered surf? I'm just wondering.

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Mrweaseluv
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Re: Nickadate

#2 Unread post by Mrweaseluv »

possibly... but if a "rare" coin may still be worth the submission even with a details grade
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Re: Nickadate

#3 Unread post by SensibleSal66 »

The problem I'm not sure about is that this product is an acid and also temporary . Awaiting more responses . Thanks for posting .
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Re: Nickadate

#4 Unread post by Daniel »

You don't want to send those in for grading.

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Re: Nickadate

#5 Unread post by Coin Mule »

Hey C, in the immortal words of the great philosopher and erudite Daniel Malone, and I quote, "don't clean circulated coins".

Here is why, the moment you mess with a circulated coin you alter the surface. Now if we are talking about a coin from 1909, you can imagine all of the "patina" that has built up over the years gives the coin a unique and individual appearance. The moment anything touches the surface, either device or field, there is no turning back. The chemical processes that formed this patina is very complex, and once you remove it from one spot on the coin, it is very clear what happened.

So when a grader sees it, they can tell right away what happened. If you look on ebay you can see a mountain of these coins, the 1916 Walker that is billed as a F - XF and has no "patina" on the fields or devices, or dark black buildup around the rim. Blast White circulated coins are impossible. I remember Daniel showing two coins in a video, one graded and the other cleaned/deets, they both looked cleaned to me, much of the fields were very clean, but there was heavy buildup around the edge of the coin, and around the devices, so sometimes you never know, but to take the chance just to try to upgrade the coin may be doing more harm than good.

As far as the product you mentioned, my understanding is that it "temporarily" enhances the look of the date. The clue as to how it does this is found in the warning blub.

One drop of Nic-A-Date will temporarily restore the date on one nickel
Repeating the process may be necessary to ensure this temporary restoration
This product will leave an etched mark on your coin

So it is no doubt some kind of acid wash, and the reason why the effect is only temporary is that once you "etch" the metal, it is more susceptible to "oxidation".

Obviously using acetone or lacquer thinner to get some "schmutz" off of a coin is different than using an acid, but not without pitfalls. These solvents will not attack or etch the metal, but if what you are using to clean the surface has any bit of dirt on it, you will scratch the coin. To avoid this, never ever wipe always dab, cotton guts are great for this, and use 3 or 4 per coin, don't be cheap. Also get your own, don't steal your wife's or daughters.

Now even if you use acetone, cotton guts, and only dab, there still can be pitfalls. One is that as you as you dab, and dip the cotton into the acetone you will see puddles of oil sitting on top of the acetone, and a bit of drab greenness on the cotton, this means you have a coin that has been treated with olive oil, and you are removing the "patina" of the semi-dried residue of the olive oil. Unfortunately, at this point you will reveal what the seller is trying to hide, I have been a victim of this, that is how I know so much about it. Usually you will find evidence of cleaning scratches. I have never tried to return a coin in this condition, but somehow I doubt they would take it back after I got the olive oil residue off of it.

The other pitfall is if you start dabbing a silver coin that has dark/black coloration, and residue comes off on the cotton as bright green, well you know what this is, the dreaded PVC. Sometimes the PVC will come off and leaves nothing behind, but sometimes it has corroded the coin, the reaction of the PVC and Silver causes a dark even black spotting that can look like the coin was in a Sulfur impregnated bag, but the difference is, a "bag" coin will not turn the cotton green when exposed to something like acetone (organic solvent). Again once you start down this road, there is no turning back, and the coin ends up in the "it is what it is" category.

So my opinion, leave it alone, always assume the next lower grade than what you think, and with this thinking you can have a better estimate of whether or not to get it graded.
Last edited by Coin Mule on Sun Feb 14, 2021 7:57 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Nickadate

#6 Unread post by Mrweaseluv »

Well said Mule :D
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Re: Nickadate

#7 Unread post by Earle42 »

Wisdom from the mule once again!
This product is simply nitric acid which is a metal eater.

Admittedly, its just my opinion, but if I cannot see the date on a buffalo nickel, its not worth much anyway. I had some rolls of them that were dateless from circulation finds years ago. So years ago I used the Nic-A-Date just to find out what the nickels were ...also knowing they were being damaged. I did find some rare dates/MM this way. But I don't see them as worth anything except hole fillers until I decide to pursue the series seriously.
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