To clean or not to clean...

[Zavenoa]

So I've been debating for a while whether or not some kind of cleaning (hot water or wiping with microfiber/jewelers cloth) is Ok on coins pulled out of circulation. If it's a common coin, but high grade, and has some crap on it (I always thing of the random black goo that ends up on state quarters some how) I will wipe it off with a clean jewelers cloth. Lately though, I've been wondering about whether or not it's worth it to try and get caked on dirt off with hot water.

I doubt it's worth the time, I'm just more curious. How can you tell if a coin has been cleaned? I can tell if someone has polished a coin if there is tarnish around the writing or date, or on the rim, but not on the flat surface points, but I don't think I would be able to tell if someone ran it under water and I tried washing a few quarters, nickels and pennies with soap and mixed them in with others that looked similar after washing them and had a hard time picking out the ones that were washed (if I even could). Beyond cleaning crud off of something that might be worth keeping from CRH, I also want to make sure I don't end up buying cleaned coins without knowing.

 

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[Diver_Down]

I also want to make sure I don't end up buying cleaned coins without knowing.

Study under magnification uncirculated coins from mint sets paying particular attention to the field. Understand the concept of metal flow. Now, examine a coin that has been cleaned. Do it to one of your junk silver 40's. Note the field under magnification. You will see the scratches that aren't evident on a mint state coin. The "Halos" around the coin's devices are tell-tale signs of cleaning/polishing. Go ahead and buy yourself a whizzed Morgan so that you can study it up close. You will note the scratches but also the "softer" devices that are evident of coin circulation. It will be whizzed to pass off as an MS-60 or higher Morgan.

It is all about educating yourself with first hand experiences. Some lessons cost money (buying a known whizzed Morgan). Once you know what to look for, it will be evident on other questionable coins. Good luck.

 

[Zavenoa]

Thanks, I was on the right path then, just haven't learned the lingo yet. I've got a USB Microscope coming this week that has 40x optical 200x digital, I think that will help a lot. I'll take your advice when it gets here and clean one of my silver nickels. I actually already had an experience buying a whizzed coin, it was a 1868 Large Date Flying Eagle, Doubled Die Reverse, but even with it being cleaned, I still think I walked away alright. I paid $60 for it and it would be EF/EF+ if it weren't cleaned, so all in all I don't think I lost too much. I can clearly see the abrasions at 30x, so I know exactly what you're talking about.

I actually just got my grandfather's coin collection too, it had around 80 Morgans and Peace dollars in it, but most of them were in Whitman folders and the safe they were in must have had some kind of humidity in it because when I took them out to put them in flips, they all have this grey nasty look to them. It really sucks because a bunch of them are AU/MS when you are looking at the obverse, but look more like F/EF looking at the Reverse. Anything I can do about that or is it one of those things that just is what it is?

 

[Diver_Down]

Post up some pictures of the Morgans in the Coins forum and you'll get plenty of feedback. By the way, at 10x the scratches will be more than evident. No need to be examining the coins under a microscope.

 

[Zavenoa]

I got the microscope to take pictures with, my phone is such a pain to d/l the pics from and their quality sucks anyway, so I got the USB microscope to take pics with, it was cheap