Northeast's Blog

FYI - Shipwreck Effect New!
12/10/2015

From NGC's website: Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) has adopted a convention for the certification of shipwreck coinage. This is the SHIPWRECK EFFECT designation. Exposure to saltwater has an irreversible effect on the surface condition of immersed coins, and in most cases this prohibits NGC from rendering a precise assessment of a coin’s condition. 


FYI - Bag Toning New!
12/08/2015

Coloring acquired from the bag while a coin was stored. Cloth coin bags contained sulfur and other metal-reactive chemicals. When stored in bags for extended periods, coins in close proximity to the cloth often acquire beautiful red, yellow, blue and other vibrant colors. Sometimes the weave of the cloth is visible in the toning. Some coins have crescent-shaped toning because another coin was covering part of the surface, thus preventing toning. Bag toning is seen most often on Morgan silver dollars.


The latest cover of Sports Illustrated New!
12/05/2015

Anyone see this yet? 

Not to take away from Brock Osweiler's performance; the guy straight up owned the Patriots in the fourth quarter. But the choice by SI to choose a photo with a potential (i.e. probable) missed call in the background is curious. 


Submission Time Again New!
12/04/2015

Fresh coins going out for grading. We'll list 'em when they come back!


FYI - PVC New!
12/04/2015

Polyvinyl Chloride is a somewhat active chemical found in some types of plastic coin flips. PVC will cause some coins to tone or turn green over time. The effect is often removable from silver coins, but PVC has been known to wreak havoc on copper, and to a lesser extent nickel coins, especially if the coins have been stored in warm or damp places over long periods of time.