Carbon Spots

[TJ1952]

I'm sure this has been discussed before. Besides a bench grinder, is there anyway to get these carbon spots off?

[GrumpyEd]

No easy cure.
Some things might reduce them and some might slow growth but once they are there there is no 100% cure.

If those spots are on a fresh coin they may be from rinse at the mint, many coins come with light or dark spots from it.

[TJ1952]

No easy cure.
Some things might reduce them and some might slow growth but once they are there there is no 100% cure.

If those spots are on a fresh coin they may be from rinse at the mint, many coins come with light or dark spots from it.

Thanks for the reality check. That confirms my thoughts.

[VAB2013]

Thank you Tom for bringing this up! Not sure how the rinse process works but I think it's a final step at the mint. I guess the rinse water has some kind of contaminant in it. Funny thing, the 2017D's Sunni sent me had very few, if any, rinse spots, whereas the Philly's have more. Maybe it's just another quality control thing?

[jfines69]

Sand plaster may work Wish some one would invent a new product to remove the carbon spots - They could call it Carbonot

[TJ1952]

Thank you Tom for bringing this up! Not sure how the rinse process works but I think it's a final step at the mint. I guess the rinse water has some kind of contaminant in it. Funny thing, the 2017D's Sunni sent me had very few, if any, rinse spots, whereas the Philly's have more. Maybe it's just another quality control thing?

I'm with you Viv. I don't understand the process myself. I do know that normal tap water has harmful chemicals that can effect coins. Whenever I clean a coin (NOT VERY OFTEN, VERY SPARINGLY) with MS70, acetone or silver dip cleaner, I always rinse with distilled water not tap water.

Over the years, I've heard that Philly has the worse quality control out of all the mints. Mint errors in general.....cracks, chips, struck thru's, laminations, etc... And I'm not talking about coins in circulation. I'm talking about mint sets, proof sets and commemorates. The gov't should move the Denver Mint employees to Philly and the Philly Mint employees to Denver and see if we notice a difference in quality.........I bet we would!

[uglycent]

I believe it is residue from the plating and etching(de-oxidizer)That gets baked into the copper during the strike making them impossible to remove. It is a shame, I find beautiful; 83 and 84 bright reds that this ruins.

[Harry Behemoth]

I like low-carb coins.

[GrumpyEd]

Not sure if rinse is done before or after strike, my guess is after plating and before strike. On moderns it may be done at the supplier before they even get to the mint.

It is a shame, I find beautiful; 83 and 84 bright reds that this ruins.

Those were the first 2 dates that I think of for horrible spots!

Certain groups will be better or worse and certain years are worse.
The worst ones I see are 83-84. You can open an OBW and sometimes they look great but others will be spotted and it's black and etched into the surface inside tight OBWs, the coins can be perfect red with solid thick black spots. I've bought rolls of those dates P and D and every coin was spotted and they go in the spend pile.

[silver1985]

"GUMOUT: Carburetor + Choke Cleaner" doesn't do anything!

Anybody know why their called "carbon spots"?