Thompson2 Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 (edited) So in the 'rona induced boredom, I dug out an old Whitman folder I had and discovered that they weren't all the typical junk. Okay, so it's not high grade 1909 S VDB, but it's better than a kick in the shin... So two questions - I put this at about a [edit]VF25/30... does this seem about right, based on these pics? And second question - any idea on the "texture"? It doesn't seem like damage or someone attempting to clean it (I'm thinking like a wire wheel) since there are no breaks at any of the features (like inside the letters and right up to the rim). Edited May 24, 2020 by Thompson2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirt Posted May 24, 2020 Share Posted May 24, 2020 Looks like a woody. Lots of different opinions on why that happened but the one I see most commonly is incomplete alloy mixing. It's not unusual in wheaties - some folks seem to love it, some folks hate it. I'm iffy on the XF for the reverse; the wheat kernels - I would like them to be more distinct but they're not and there's that issue with the tip of the left wheat stalk. Nice pics and yes, nice coin - except for the M in America, strong strike for the year/mint! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thompson2 Posted May 24, 2020 Author Share Posted May 24, 2020 13 hours ago, Kirt said: Looks like a woody. Lots of different opinions on why that happened but the one I see most commonly is incomplete alloy mixing. It's not unusual in wheaties - some folks seem to love it, some folks hate it. I'm iffy on the XF for the reverse; the wheat kernels - I would like them to be more distinct but they're not and there's that issue with the tip of the left wheat stalk. Nice pics and yes, nice coin - except for the M in America, strong strike for the year/mint! Cool. Never seen (nor heard of) that before, but I dig it! Adds character to an otherwise mediocre find. And yes, I actually revised the numerical rating down but forgot to change it from XF to VF (corrected now). Damn rookies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKK Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 VF-40 in my view. There's supposed to be at least a little mint luster remaining for EF, and I think the obverse wear is a bit heavy for that grade anyway. Some of the crudulation looks like it might be the beginning of tarnish. That said, I love the coin. Woodgrain is always cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thompson2 Posted May 25, 2020 Author Share Posted May 25, 2020 4 hours ago, JKK said: VF-40 in my view. There's supposed to be at least a little mint luster remaining for EF, and I think the obverse wear is a bit heavy for that grade anyway. Some of the crudulation looks like it might be the beginning of tarnish. That said, I love the coin. Woodgrain is always cool. To me, 40 is pushing it. The wear on ol’ Abe’s temple looks more 30-ish to my super calibrated, ultra trained eye. Lol I think the crudation (I -will- be stealing that, by the way) doesn’t look like corrosion in my pics. Only because I don’t see any green. Going to give it a bath in distilled water in the ultrasonic cleaner to see if I can knock it loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKK Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 3 minutes ago, Thompson2 said: To me, 40 is pushing it. The wear on ol’ Abe’s temple looks more 30-ish to my super calibrated, ultra trained eye. I do too. By VF-40 I mean: "Actually VF, but the typical dealer would probably put it out as EF-40." There is no grade of VF-40, of course. Good luck de-crudulating it. Careful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thompson2 Posted May 25, 2020 Author Share Posted May 25, 2020 (edited) 13 minutes ago, JKK said: I do too. By VF-40 I mean: "Actually VF, but the typical dealer would probably put it out as EF-40." There is no grade of VF-40, of course. Good luck de-crudulating it. Careful. Lol... glad I’m losing my mind too much... And the warning is appreciated. But distilled water and ultrasonics is as aggressive as it gets. I did more than my fair share of unforgivable damage in my youth... still have a few floating around as reminders to never do that again. Ha! Edited May 25, 2020 by Thompson2 RonnieR131 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thompson2 Posted May 25, 2020 Author Share Posted May 25, 2020 De-crudidation complete (mostly... might do better with a bit more time)... Turned out nicely. The crud came off for the most part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKK Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 Looks pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirt Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 (edited) That came out really well! I would stop right there; really nice coin. Edited May 25, 2020 by Kirt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thompson2 Posted May 26, 2020 Author Share Posted May 26, 2020 4 hours ago, Kirt said: That came out really well! I would stop right there; really nice coin. Thanks. I was pleasantly surpised with how much came off. That date is super sharp now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenHolcomb Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Rare moment here, coming at ya!!! I am totally with the guys on this one. XF 40 it is. Nice color with a tight woodgrain going on. And yes, a Woody is the result of an IAM. You may also see Wheaties with roller marks that will appear to be a Woody, but the grainy appeal will not cover the entire surface of the coin, but rather will be more centralized and fade out around the edges. Sorry about that, but y'all know how I tend to get carried away and get windy sometimes. Especially on topics I've been previously schooled on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
