NCS Conservation: Residue Removal Befitting Royalty

Numismatic Conservation Services™ (NCS®) uses a variety of proprietary techniques to remove harmful contaminants, stabilize and protect a coin's surfaces and, in many cases, improve a coin's eye appeal. After coins are conserved by NCS, they are seamlessly transferred to Numismatic Guaranty Company™ (NGC®), an independent affiliate of NCS, for grading and encapsulation.

Below are a few highlights of coins that were recently conserved by NCS and graded by NGC.

Modern special issue coins can be sometimes surprisingly susceptible to the development of residues despite their special handling during production at the mint. This Proof struck Great Britain 1980 gold 5 Sovereign was recently submitted for NCS conservation to address the development of some considerable hazing residues.

Care must be taken when conserving modern issues so as to not damage the fragile surfaces under any obscuring residues. Professional conservation was able to safely remove the advanced hazing residue revealing a bright cameo befitting for the Queen. This large gold piece was able to grade very well with NGC following conservation.

Great Britain 1980 Gold 5 Sovereign Before conservation Click images to enlarge.

Great Britain 1980 Gold 5 Sovereign After conservation Click images to enlarge.

Long-term storage in soft flips can lead to the development of ugly and highly damaging residues. This Great Britain silver 1884 1 Shilling was submitted with heavy green residues that are a clear indication of long-term storage in soft flips. Heavy PVC residues such as the one on this Queen Victoria piece can cause permanent damage and frequently do. However, with careful conservation work, this British silver coin was revealed to be bright and lustrous with little permanent damage caused by the PVC residue. This coin was able to grade numerically with NGC following the professional conservation.

Great Britain 1884 Silver 1 Shilling Before conservation Click images to enlarge.

Great Britain 1884 Silver 1 Shilling After conservation Click images to enlarge.

Copper coins can develop residues that may seem innocuous at first glance but can hide original surfaces much in the same way as on coins of other metal types. This Proof 1803 Hibernia (Ireland) bronze ½ Penny was recently submitted to NCS to remove a residue that had developed very uniformly over the original surfaces. Residues are often the precursor to corrosion, and this is especially true for coins of copper alloy. Once all residues were carefully removed, this bold copper alloy coin was revealed to be a bright and reflective brown example. Following professional conservation this coin was able to grade well with NGC.

Hibernia (Ireland) 1803 Bronze Half Penny Before conservation Click images to enlarge.

Hibernia (Ireland) 1803 Bronze Half Penny After conservation Click images to enlarge.

For more information about NCS, visit NGCcoin.com/NCS.

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