Don't know why photo wasn't uploaded, maybe that's whats altered.

Was it a colorized coin?

Can't get photos to upload, Why?

Has the coin developed any haze or fingerprints in the 21 years since it was purchased from the Mint? These contaminants can sometimes be seen as an attempt to hide hairlines on Proofs.

Hi,

I also recieved the same for my 1943D steel penny. Its a simple steel penny with a zinc coin. Said "altered surface"

Its mint high grade MS and now i do not know what to do with it. Who would re-alter a zinc steel coin?

It was in the family collection since probably 1943 when my father got it.

Dave

Hi,

I also recieved the same for my 1943D steel penny. Its a simple steel penny with a zinc coin. Said "altered surface"

Its mint high grade MS and now i do not know what to do with it. Who would re-alter a zinc steel coin?

It was in the family collection since probably 1943 when my father got it.

or how would you do that? re zinc it? Its the same as it was for 80 years.

Maybe NGC does not recognize certain anomolies if they are errors, if they have never seen one thus 

they send it back without explaination?

I think its a mistake on their part.

Dave

@hixxstersmine--   Please post your questions about coins on one of the forums, such as the "Newbie Coin Collecting Questions" forum, not in someone else's journal.

  Your photos of the 1943 cent are too dark for me to offer any meaningful opinion, but many thousands of dark or rusted 1943 zinc-coated steel cents have been privately processed, replated and buffed to appear uncirculated.  They are identified by a shiny rather than frosty surface and are considered to have an altered surface.  It's possible that NGC was wrong, but they have to go by what they can see. There's no way for them to verify that your father got it "fresh from the mint" in 1943 and no one has done anything to it since.

FYI, here's what an uncirculated 1943 steel cent is supposed to look like, this one graded MS 66 by PCGS.

Its NGC's way of taking your money but not doing the work they are paid to do, if they are going to do this and send it back in a flip then they should refund a portion or all of the grading fee.  On the bright side you paid $30 for a cool little piece of paper that says NGC, your coin info and "Altered Surface".  With so many details descriptions out there, why not put that on it?   I will not certify coins with NGC after they gave +20% of my submissions this label.

On 12/4/2022 at 9:44 AM, J Brown Collection said:

Its NGC's way of taking your money but not doing the work they are paid to do, if they are going to do this and send it back in a flip then they should refund a portion or all of the grading fee.  On the bright side you paid $30 for a cool little piece of paper that says NGC, your coin info and "Altered Surface".  With so many details descriptions out there, why not put that on it?   I will not certify coins with NGC after they gave +20% of my submissions this label.

If 20% of your coins came back with "altered surfaces" or some other "details" grade, it sounds as though you need to do a lot more studying and examining  coins before you send in any more - regardless of where you send them. Sorry to be so blunt and harsh, but it appears the problem is not with NGC, but with your experience and expertise. Being able to determine if a coin has been cleaned or otherwise messed with normally takes lots of practice and requires viewing many coins in hand. I realize this is not what you want to hear, and I certainly will understand if you get mad at me and refuse to heed my advice, but I do believe what I wrote is true.