cwjohnson Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Hello fellow collectors, my name is Charles and I'm a new collector and new member here. So, I retired from the US Navy in 2011. In 07-08, I deployed to the UAE. While there, I purchased this gold coin…packed it away, came home, threw all my junk in a trunk and left it in the garage. Fast forward this past Thanksgiving weekend, I’m cleaning out the garage, come across my old trunk and crack it open. I’m reminiscing about the good old days and I saw this jewelry case in the bottom of the trunk. I open it and low and behold, this coin is nestled inside. Now, when I say I’m a new collector, I mean new as in 3-weeks new. I started with the 2020-W 1oz Silver American Eagle Proof and have since acquired the 2001 thru 2019 Eagle Proofs in either PF70UC or PF70DCAM. Got some 1st Strikes and Early Releases as well. What I don’t have in the series is the 2009-W Eagle…can’t find it nowhere…’course, that’s another story… Anyhow I got this gold coin here and I’m thinking I want to get a holder for it, ‘cause I’ve handled it with my bare hands and got my finger oils all over it…don’t shoot me, I do know better…now… The scratches you see are from me trying to wipe off my finger oils with a soft cloth-like item, like a clean tee-shirt. I came to NGC’s site to price a holder for it and generally peruse the site. I saw that we can actually send in the coin and they’ll grade it and put one of their cool labels on it. So I joined up and will be getting the coin graded real soon. In the meantime, I’d like to get an idea of what a dealer would pay me for this if I sold it or what it might be graded at. I know this may be a tall order and I know you guys aren’t experts, but you’ve been in the game longer than I have and probably know things I don’t about coins. I’m just seeking a general idea about the grade and value of my coin. I just wanted to share the coin with you guys and am happy to be a member of the group. I thank you guys in advance and look forward to any information you can provide me. Thanks, Charles Now I just need to navigate the coin submission process… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoghead515 Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Good to meet you my friend. I dont know much about your coin. Im fairly new myself. There will be someone on here before long to help you. There are some very knowledgeable people on here. Blows my mind how much they know. I just wanted to respond and say thank you for your service. I am very grateful to our service men and women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwjohnson Posted December 2, 2020 Author Share Posted December 2, 2020 Good to meet you as well Hoghead515. I appreciate the sentiments on my military service...25yrs, 3mo, and a day...but who was counting... Hoghead515 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKK Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 I'm not sure it wouldn't come back AU details, hairlined. Looks like it's been scrubbed with a wire brush and it might rise to the body bag (no grade) level. I suspect it's a proof, which makes the hairlining stand out pretty clearly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted December 2, 2020 Share Posted December 2, 2020 Welcome to the forum. Your one ounce "Visions of Dubai" gold token is not listed on this page of world coins that NGC does not encapsulate LINK HERE nor is it listed on the page of exonumia that they do slab LINK HERE so I think I would either post a question in the Ask NGC forum, or send them an email to see if they will slab it. It may be a moot point, though. As JKK stated, it will probably either not grade, or be labeled "Impaired Proof." Wiping coins is a no-no. Here is the Numista page with some info about your piece: CLICK HERE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwjohnson Posted December 2, 2020 Author Share Posted December 2, 2020 Yeah, as I mentioned in the original post, I was all excited about finding it and handling it with my bare hands. Afterwards, I used a clean tee-shirt to wipe off my finger prints and I think that's what put those scratches on it... Didn't think a soft cotton tee-shirt would do that...lesson learned...don't touch proof type coins with bare fingers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwjohnson Posted December 2, 2020 Author Share Posted December 2, 2020 Thanks Just Bob for the link to the Numista page about my coin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWB Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 Another 1 oz. bullion token with rubbing and hairlines from mishandling. Worth melt or a bit less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwjohnson Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 What does that mean, "Worth melt"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKK Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 2 minutes ago, cwjohnson said: What does that mean, "Worth melt"? He is saying it is worth the value of its metal, or slightly less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwjohnson Posted December 3, 2020 Author Share Posted December 3, 2020 Ohhhh, so because of a few, or more than a few, slight scratches, the coin is worth whatever the going price for an ounce of gold is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Bob Posted December 3, 2020 Share Posted December 3, 2020 When you abrasively clean or wipe a coin, medal or token, you remove most, if not all, of its numismatic value. Only a rare or highly desirable item maintains much of its pre-cleaned value. (This is a general rule. There are, of course, exceptions, particularly when it comes to Ancient coins, or coins retrieved from shipwrecks.. Dug or salvaged coins are cleaned, to remove years or centuries of encrustation. This requires skill. It is also referred to as "Conservation.") This has not always been the case. Up until the 1980s (or somewhere in that area), cleaning coins was acceptable. Older coins magazines can even be found with articles on how to make your coins look shiny and new. Now, "original surfaces" are all the rage. Search some of the older threads on this forum. You will find that there are a few acceptable methods of removing unwanted substances, like dirt, verdigris or PVC slime from coins. Rinsing in distilled water, acetone soaks and rinses, and long soaks in mineral oil or olive oil, to loosen "crudulation" (JKK's word) are usually safe and effective. Wiping never is. (Ok, it might be effective, but it is never safe.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwjohnson Posted December 4, 2020 Author Share Posted December 4, 2020 Thanks Just Bob for the clarification. Again, I made a newbie mistake...I've certainly learned this lesson the hard way. But I ain't melting my coin down though...I'll probably send it to NGC anyway to see what they say...stay tuned... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKK Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 2 hours ago, cwjohnson said: Thanks Just Bob for the clarification. Again, I made a newbie mistake...I've certainly learned this lesson the hard way. But I ain't melting my coin down though...I'll probably send it to NGC anyway to see what they say...stay tuned... I think you misunderstand our meaning of "melt." Quite reasonable to do so, because the way we use it is not literal. The "melt value" of a coin is the value IF it were melted down. Most coins sold at bullion value will not be melted down. They will be bought and sold as commodities by precious metal speculators, preppers, investors, and other people who want to own the actual metal. To be quite candid, I think if you send this to NGC you're wasting your money. For the $60, you could buy a fairly nice coin rather than a plastic holder that will just tell you what you've already learned about this one. If you like this one, I'd keep it, put it in a safe holder, and enjoy it--then spend your $60 on something cooler than a plastic holder memorializing less-than-welcome news about a coin. Your money, of course, but I know what I'd rather have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwjohnson Posted December 4, 2020 Author Share Posted December 4, 2020 That's good advice JKK, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
