Coins Not Conserved

Posted on 12/1/2003

If you have submitted coins to NCS and they were not conserved, before attempting to conserve them yourself, consider this…THERE MAY BE A VERY GOOD REASON WHY WE DID NOT CONSERVE THE COIN.

More and more we are seeing coins submitted to NCS that we previously determined would not benefit from conservation. The major difference this time around is that the owner has sent the coin to us hoping we can "reverse" the unattractive results or damage caused by attempting to conserve the coin himself.

Unfortunately, we have seen a few great coins with minor blemishes down grade, no grade or just lose a lot of eye appeal after amateur conservation is undertaken.

Before undertaking conservation on your own of a coin that we declined to conserve, keep in mind that we saw something in the surface problem that we felt would actually hurt the coin more if removed than if left alone.

NCS evaluators are very experienced and knowledgeable. They know better than anyone when a coin needs or will benefit from conservation and which of the many procedures will be most effective. More importantly, they know when to not do anything. So if we have declined to conserve a coin, there may be a very good reason, and if you attempt conservation anyway, we wish you the best of luck and hope you realize the coin may be impaired in the process.

Typically, NCS evaluators and conservators will decline to conserve an uncertified coin for some of the following reasons:

  1. The coin does not need to be conserved.
  2. The coin is not genuine.
  3. The coin has been damaged to a point that no conservation procedure will be of benefit.

In the case of certified coins, NCS evaluators and conservators may also decline to conserve a coin for the reasons above as well as:

  1. The coin will not maintain its current certified grade when submitted to NGC after conservation.
  2. The coin shows significant potential for losing eye appeal and grade due to the severity of the problem.

If you have had a coin returned and not conserved, before attempting the work on your own, consult NCS as we are always willing re-examine a coin. If you attempt the conservation on your own, keep in mind that the result may be worse than the initial problem.


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