should i or should i not clean coins that I am going to keep in my collection?
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should i or should i not clean coins that I am going to keep in my collection?
Here's a fer instance...I've dug several hundred old silvers and IH's in the last few years. I'd have to say that almost every one has been cleaned in some manner, you can't dig a nice coin and catalog it with grit or dirt on the surface. It will be ruined in no time.I understand that it was definately a "trend" to "shine, or polish" a coin or two back in the day.... wayyy back. But what I dont understand is why it is even a question today...... Why do so many of us have this inner want/need/desire to "clean" our coins? Please understand that I am including myself when I say we, because of my CRH'ing addiction, my disease has spread to coin collecting (numismatic stuff) and so I know as much as anybody that cleaning coins is a very big NO NO. I still get that "clean it" impulse from time to time. I have been reading the cherry pickers guides as of late, and I started with my CRH'ing half dollars, I have already found 3 DDO and 1 1964 D/D rpm... I dont think they are anything to special, cause they are not MS anymore, but "cleaning them" would just about guarantee that any additional value would have been destroyed. why do we get the impulse to try to make our coins "look better".....?
Personally, I use a dremel with a brass brush to clean all of my more rare coins. I find that this method knocks down some of the sharp edges in the striking, giving the coin a very smooth appearance...
In seriousness, do not clean coins, outside dipping them in acetone and dabbing with a cotton cloth. If you clean a coin with abrasive methods, and it had numismatic value, it no longer does or it is greatly diminished.