Conservation Showcase: 1932 S Quarter

BEFORE CONSERVATION
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AFTER CONSERVATION
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Being an indication of things that can severely damage the surface of a coin, removal of green residues is a frequent reason coins are sent to NCS. Green residues are often an indication of PVC contamination which over time can begin to eat away at the surface metal of a coin as well as corrosion which very quickly can destroy the surface metal of a coin. It is important to remove the green.

This 1932 Washington Quarter from the San Francisco Mint is one of the rarities of the Washington Quarter series. The green residue on this particular example is both unattractive and potentially damaging. The NCS conservators were able to carefully remove the green residue as well as other light residues while retaining the coin’s natural look. This coin was able to grade numerically with NGC following the conservation.