NCS Conservation: March Highlights

Numismatic Conservation Services (NCS) uses a variety of proprietary techniques to remove harmful surface 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 Corporation (NGC), an independent affiliate of NCS, for grading and encapsulation.

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

This Australian 1908 P gold Sovereign came to NCS with some rather unattractive ink residue on the obverse and some small residue spots on the reverse. Both types of residue were hiding a nice evenly colored gold coin. Ink is a more unusual type of residue to encounter on the surface of a coin but is among the more frequently encountered types of residues that have been purposely added at some point in the coin's history.

Conservators at NCS were able to safely remove the residues from this piece without damaging the original surface. Following NCS conservation, this coin was able to grade numerically with NGC.

Australia 1908 P Gold Sovereign Before conservation Click images to enlarge.

Australia 1908 P Gold Sovereign After conservation Click images to enlarge.

This gold Canadian commemorative $20 honoring 100 years of the Confederation in 1967 was sent to NCS with a terrible case of surface-obscuring residue. Forming due to poor long-term storage holders and oftentimes even from the original mint holders, residues such as this appear on modern coins regardless of alloy. It is imperative to remove these kinds of potentially damaging residues without scratching the surface underneath in order to reveal the coin's true surfaces.

The conservators at NCS were able to remove the residue from the entire surface of this coin to reveal a damage-free surface. Following PVC residue removal by the professional conservators at NCS, the coin was able to grade very well with NGC.

Canada 1967 Gold $20 Confederation Before conservation Click images to enlarge.

Canada 1967 Gold $20 Confederation After conservation Click images to enlarge.

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