Doogy Posted March 23, 2006 Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 I'm wondering whether a slight copper content would cause this reddish tone shown at about 4 o'clock in this picture? Why do some gold coins get this, while others don't; manufacturing process, or does the color show up over time, or some other reason? just curious, thanks! Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlueke Posted March 23, 2006 Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 I'm wondering whether a slight copper content would cause this reddish tone shown at about 4 o'clock in this picture? Why do some gold coins get this, while others don't; manufacturing process, or does the color show up over time, or some other reason? just curious, thanks! Yes, it would be the presence of another metal in the alloy. The way the alloy was made and mixed does play a role. There's plenty of Greek staters with no such issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doogy Posted March 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 Yes, it would be the presence of another metal in the alloy. The way the alloy was made and mixed does play a role. There's plenty of Greek staters with no such issues. thanks for the explanation, it certainly makes sense. You used the word "issue", which i'm wondering about. If this type of spot shows up on a gold coin, do the third party graders (in this case, ANACS) see it as a flaw and thus would grade it lower? Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlueke Posted March 23, 2006 Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 thanks for the explanation, it certainly makes sense. You used the word "issue", which i'm wondering about. If this type of spot shows up on a gold coin, do the third party graders (in this case, ANACS) see it as a flaw and thus would grade it lower? Doug That I do not know. I suspect they probably market grade this somewhat. So if there is a date/year/mint combo where this is common it is probably factored into the grade. If this is an abberation one would suspect they might knock off a point or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtryka Posted March 23, 2006 Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 This is what is known as a copper spot (or carbon spot), and it is usually caused by a higher concentration of copper in the alloy at that particular spot which has oxidized over time. For the most part grading companies tend to ignore them, though on common dates they likely result in a downgrade of a point or two. In rare cases when the oxidation is extreme, some grading companies will body bag the coin for environmental damage. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doogy Posted March 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2006 This is what is known as a copper spot (or carbon spot), and it is usually caused by a higher concentration of copper in the alloy at that particular spot which has oxidized over time. For the most part grading companies tend to ignore them, though on common dates they likely result in a downgrade of a point or two. In rare cases when the oxidation is extreme, some grading companies will body bag the coin for environmental damage. Hope this helps. Great! thanks for the info! Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28Plain Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 The copper spotting is an alloy anomaly, not that uncommon. That's a beauty of a gold eagle, regardless of the spotting. Congratulations on a good buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishmoney Posted March 26, 2006 Report Share Posted March 26, 2006 Until a couple of years ago I owned a 1928 Dutch Ducat that had a large red spot on it, similarly. It was just an impurity in the metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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