Bonesquat
Elite Member
hey goes4ever --
would you mind sharing what you did to take care of that coin, from the time you dug it until the time you sent it? When I find a Merc, I gently rub off the dirt to make sure it's not a "key" date -- but if I ever did that to a 1916-D, it sounds like I've destroyed it right there! Without taking EVERY silver coin you dig home, caked with dirt and "protected" in a cotton ball or something, and wondering what to do next (only to find that in 99.9% of the cases it's a "common date" silver coin), what should one do?
Also, King Tots -- I dig many Mercs that have the back "offset" from the front -- to varying degrees (moreso, it seems like, than any other coin where the obverse and reverse tend to be more properly aligned in most cases). How much "offset" makes a "common" Merc more valuable?
Finally, goes4ever, what did having that thing slabbed and graded cost? If I somehow were to ever find a good coin, I'd be curious to know what the cost is to have it professionally done...
Last but NOT least, CONGRATS CONGRATS CONGRATS on finding something that most of us only dream about...!!
Steve
I'll answer for him. Carry a little pill bottle with water, NEVER rub or break away dirt on a silver coin. Just take it dirt and all, place it in that pill bottle with water and water til you get home to rinse off in water extremely gently. You cannot rub it ever - even to get off tiny flakes of dirt. Just keep it in water as long as you need to.