Gasp!
I was looking at your pictures again and realized it's the same coin but cleaned!
It looked waaay better before.
To each his own and I should mind my own business, I'm not a numismatist by any strech, but you "shoulna done that, he's just a boy". Hmm um.
I loved the coin in it's original form. That tarnish means everything to a historical target or coin. Especially to you/me. The tarnish is what makes one coin different from another. When you look at that coin in the dead of winter the tarnish will instantly bring me back to that experience. leave you wondering why is the tarnish like that, who handled it, why was it dropped here? That dark spot could have been caused the thumb print of the person who had it last. Maybe he was eating an orange or something or had mayonnaise on his finger. Did they have Hellman's back then?
I'm a big fan, much respect, just that caught me off guard.
It's been a gradual thing, but metal detecting has got me to understand why those coin guys freak out when you clean a coin. It's not necessarily about money at all. I've learned to love tones and colour, beyond what would even be acceptable to a coin guy with a grade book.
Just yesterday I gave my sister a couple rings and a rainbow nickle for her birthday, of the same year she was born. The coin itself is worth 25 cent to a collector, it's weight in 100% nickle to a scrapper, but the shear beauty and rarity of the coin makes it valuable to me, as it is one of only two or three coins that look like (Rainbow) that out of the 12 or so pounds of nickle and copper coins with the Deus this summer.
Definitely don't take this the wrong way, I'm not mad or anything, I actually don't care what people do with their coins, I was just surprised that you polished that particular coin. You brought up an interesting topic with that one.
Anyhow big fan, good work, keep your hands off that button. lol