Burnished SAE

Hey, I searched the posts here but can't find an clear answer on this. How can you tell a burnished silver eagle from a non burnished one? I was told that ONLY burnished coins have the "W" mint mark on the back. But I bought a 2007 SAE and the seller said it was not a burnished coin, but there is a "W" on the back of it. I know since 2001 the eagles are minted at West Point. So, do I actually have a 2007 burnished coin because of the "W", and that seller was wrong? Or, are there "W"s on both burnished and non burnished coins? I don't think so,..,can someone confirm?

 

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2006 W are burnished. I don't have any pics loaded on this device but there's a noticeable difference. You'd know one when you saw it.

 

Could you upload pics?

 

I can't currently, the coin is at another location.

 

Here's an example.

 

2006 was the 20th year anniversary. The west point mint. Produced the ASE on burnished planchet.
Burnished silver is actually less desirable, IMO. I want to use the word bleached.
Google ASE 2006 burnished west point
Should get a match that way. I don't have any photos on the device I'm using.

 

Great summary, thx. I take most collectors just stick to buying the non burnished than the burnished ones?

 

I disagree! The terms "burnished" and "polished" hold two distinctly different connotations. For example, the Kennedy in my avatar has a burnished finish that looks nothing like a coin that has been polished.

Chris

 

+1

 

Consider this. . .

Metalwork

• In metalwork, the burnishing technique produces a smoothed and hardened surface. On the other hand, polishing only results in a smooth, non-hardened surface, the first step to a full burnish. Although burnishing often results in a deeper finish than polishing alone, the only way to be certain whether burnishing has been applied is to conduct a wear test.
  

 

Well, since we are playing with the semantics of numismatic lingo, I guess the use of the terms polished and burnished are just like the use of the terms doubled die and double die.

Chris

 

Apparently the planchets are polished. In the case of Silver Eagles, before the silver blanks (also known as “planchets”) are struck they must first be burnished. These blanks are subjected to a polishing process that involves being placed in a large spinning drum that is loaded with polishing media (millions of tiny 6mm balls or in the past, wet sand).http://blog.goldeneaglecoin.com/what-is-a-burnished-coin/

 

This may be one of the few times I've sided with a mod.
I have read but haven't a reference polished is the word used.
If I remember where I read it I'll post the link, it could've been google.

Probably, I only have 1 its NCG 69. May have bought it 5 or 6 years ago.

 

This is how it is used in dentistry as well. We burnish metal fillings to polish but also to condense the material further...resulting in a harder and more polished surface. I wonder if the mint truly burnished the planchets (in a metal working sense) or simply polished them...and then used a more appealing word.

Online dictionaries however simply define the word to mean polished.

 

And watchmaking for that matter. But let's not get DRAGGED into the weeds. Rather than discuss if burnishing and polishing are the same thing, let's just agree that the TREATMENT done to the dies or planchet when a coin is made can produce a different appearance. A "Burnished" surface differs from a "Proof" or "Mint State" surface. With experience, an informed collector can tell.

Polished or not - the U.S. Mint makes the coins and refers to them as BURNISHED. That's good enough for me and the TPGS's.

 

Is it known what their burishing process is? How do they polish the planchets?

 

........and we both know that the majority of the non-collecting public doesn't know what the hell burnished means when it comes to coins. So, if the US Mint wanted to attract more collectors, wouldn't it make sense for them to use the descriptive "polished"? I still contend that the Mint's use of the term "burnished" represents a difference between it and "polished".

Chris