Chicago Tribune Arts & Fun July 7, 1974
Section 6 Page 21

Whiz past uncirculated traps

By Roger Boye

COINS BEING sold as un-
circulated should be exam-
ined carefully before pur-
chase to determine if the
merchandise is what it's ad-
vertised to be.

Coins which have been
cleaned or "whizzed" are
sometimes incorrectly sold
as uncirculated. Cleaned
coins have been washed or
polished to remove dirt, tar-
nish or other foreign matter,
and they often have a decep-
tively shiny appearance.

"Whizzed" coins have
been polished and buffed
and even treated with a
chemical to make the coin
appear in better condition
than it actually is.

A coin is not necessarily
uncirculated if it appears
"shiny" or "like new."
Coins advertised as uncircu-
lated should be examined
with a magnifying glass for
any indication of wear. For
example, the high points on
the Washington quarter
[which will show wear first]
are Washington's hair in
front of and back of the ear
and, on the reverse, the
feathers on the eagle's
breast.

If these high points are
worn, the coin will rate only
"about uncirculated" or
even "extremely fine" condi-
tion rather than "uncirculat-
ed," regardless of how bril-
liant the shine on the coin's
surface. An uncirculated
coin, by definition, has never
entered circulation and will
show no wear. And, of
course, an uncirculated coin
usually will command a
price two or three times that
of a coin in extremely fine
condition.

Incidentally, an especially
well-struck uncirculated coin
with sharp design for every
minute detail will command
a higher price than will an
average-struck uncirculated
coin. Dealers sometimes will
indicate the best struck un-
circulated coins with the
designation of "gem" or
"choice" uncirculated.

READERS planning vaca-
tions in Philadelphia and
Denver have written and
asked about tours of the U.S.
mints in those cities.

Tourists are welcomed
from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Monday thru Friday at the
Philadelphia Mint. 5th and
Arch Streets. Tours are self-
conducted--visitors view
equipment making U.S.
coins and are informed of
the Mint operations by dis-
plays and tape recordings.
The tour takes at least 20
minutes, and some visitors
stay for a couple hours or
more.

The Denver Mint conducts
20-minute tours from 8 a.m,
to 3 p.m. Monday thru Fri-
day. The Mint is located on
Colfax Avenue between
Cherokee and Delaware
Streets.

Both have displays of
coins and medals and mate-
rial describing how coins are
made. There is no charge
for the tours at either mint,
and no appointment is neces-
sary.