| Coin Alterations can cost you money! |
From the top, the 1897 appears to have been colored to hide marks on the face. The 1901 has a flat finish, possibly from dipping. The 1892 is a typical AU Barber Dime.
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We have a number of useful articles that we hope will help prevent you from making costly mistakes with your coin purchases.
If you realize that the difference of a grade can result in several hundred dollars, it is no surprise that some folks take to altering coins to increase their profits. Here are a number of useful articles to help you identify coins that have been altered.
I personally have bought several coins that I knew were altered so that I could use them for comparison of unaltered coins. I have a coin that appears to have been dipped, another that was "whizzed" and one that looks like it was somehow colored (possibly baked) to hide major flaws in the coin.
Knowing what an altered coin looks like will save you from making a purchase that you will later regret. I've recently turned back an MS63 Indian Head Cent that apparently was doctored. I noticed some oddities at the base of the neck, which lead me to notice some filling of the "0" in the date. After noticing some discoloration on the rim, I found that the lettering in the "Liberty" had also been touched up. Whether these were the result of the coin being doctored to bring it up to an MS63, I can't be sure but I know I would never have been happy with the coin.
"Coin doctors" have become increasingly active in recent years in the rare-coin marketplace. Unfortunately, their role has not been to cure the market's ailments, but rather to spread an epidemic
There are other ways to hide or obscure surface problems besides adding color or toning. The most common of these surface techniques is the application of "nose" grease.
The key to spotting a counterfeit or an altered coin is knowing how to recognize the real thing. This has been said many times, but it bears repeating. Knowledge of die characteristics, the shapes of mint marks, the styles of digits, all come into play.
Every once in awhile, though, another "whizzed" coin makes its way into the marketplace and fools an unsuspecting collector.
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