All the collectors say: DON'T CLEAN THEM!!!!!

[Discrimination Dave]

All the collectors say: DON'T CLEAN THEM!!!!!

Can anyone set me clear as to why?
I can understand rubbing away the coin, or putting the coin through some process that might cause it to pit or change color,
but what about a good old fashion toothpaste polish? Is that always bad on a collectible coin?
Thanks in advance,
odb

[BuckleBoy]

Cleaning or polishing a coin in any way creates tiny scratches in its surface, which are readily identifiable to a collector as "whizz marks." If these are non-dug coins, a collector will not be as interested in buying them, and their value will be less as a result. Collectors will instead go for the coins that have not been cleaned, polished, dipped, etc.

In terms of dug coins, copper and nickel coins will be what they are--there is no way to eradicate the signs that a coin has been in the ground. Silvers are another story--which is why one should never field clean a silver coin by wiping it to see the date. If the coin was lost when it was uncirculated, or close to uncirculated, then wiping it will grind the dirt into the mirror-like surfaces of the coin, and it will be classified as a cleaned coin. In effect, its value will drop. And if you can't see the date yet, you have no idea whether that uncirculated merc is a 1941 or a 1916-D. The sad thing is that the Nicer a coin is, condition-wise, the more its surfaces can be harmed by field cleaning. So don't field clean!

Now, if you're not worried about the value of a modern mercury dime, and you dig one or have one in your collection that is oxidized or has other aesthetic problems, then if you want a nicer display coin, you can clean it. Its value is so low anyhow that it won't make much difference.

I have used baking soda to polish a badly oxidized, and badly worn (and common) "dug" Seated Dime. I wasn't that happy with the results. The coin looked unnatural. But it's personal preference.

Other methods for cleaning dug coins to remove the dirt from them are listed in the "Cleaning and Preservation" section--but the best cleaning techniques only remove the dirt, without damaging the surface of the coin, regardless of what metal the coin is made of.


Regards,


Buckleboy

[savant365]

As usual BB cover the topic completely but I have a question for you oledavidboy:

Just exactly what is going on in your avatar there buddy

[BuckleBoy]

Sorry Full Circle,
That is an old picture of my grandmother`s ping pong hazing by my grandfathers second cousin!
While the other school kids observed

LMAO!


Has to be one of the best avatars around here. Chin up, odb--if you're finding the old copper coins there, then silver will be on your way soon.


Best Wishes,


Buckles

[MEinWV]

Very good post about cleaning! Another coin that comes to mind are the Spanish treasure coins. They can "whizz" the crap out of them and it doesn't seem to hurt the value.

I posted this "field cleaned" Barber quarter in the Best Finds forum a few days ago as an example of my act of stupidity. I have already apologized to the world for this mistake.

I'm posting the pic again here for an FYI for folks with cleaning questions. I dug this pristine coin from an almost pure sand soil and it was flawless with much of the mint luster intact. As you can see, I brushed my thumb(no rubbing) across it to remove the dust. The dust was extra fine grains of sand and millions of them cut into the surface. I was so P.O.'d at what I had just done and vowed never to do it again. A couple days later, I dug a gorgeous SLQ(also posted in Best Finds) from the same spot and was real careful about touching it, wrapping it in T.P.

I hope lots of folks read your post here. Good luck! HH

[BuckleBoy]

Thanks for the reply, MEinWV. Too bad about that Barber, but the Seated is BEAUTIFUL!

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...,227088.0.html


It doesn't take long to learn about field cleaning when a high quality coin is at stake. Thank you for posting both photos.




Best Wishes,



Buckles

[ReidMan]

Well the funny thing is if you send it in to be professionally slabbed they clean it. I guess it depends on who does it.
I never scrub a coin but you can soak the junk off of some in substances made for that reason and Olive oil on coppers never hurts.
Try MS70 a lot of coin dealers use it they might not admit it but they do. And a dirty nasty coin is not going to bring any more money
then a nice cleaned coin. Just don't over clean don't scrub it with harsh abrasives, never try to remove the green patina on coppers.
And leave the toning on coins don't try to get the silver back to shiny new.

[BuckleBoy]

Olive oil is in my opinion a Big mistake for copper coins. Maybe for an encrusted roman coin that has been in the ground for 2000 years, but not for a colonial or large cent.


Best Wishes,


Buckleboy