Coin Restoration

Hogtown Hunter · Nov 23, 2025

My dad kept a bank bag full of old coins. After he passed i was going through them and found a 1796 Liberty Cap Large Cent. It's in pretty bad shape. I've read that NGC does restoration on coins. This coin is a piece of history and I would love to restore it if possible. I haven't dared to touch it. The front still has a little detail to it but the back is rough. Don't know how much of that is build up on the coin or deterioration?
Has anyone had a coin cleaned/ "restored"? How much does it cost? I'll include pics of what coin should look like, what mine looks like and a picture of a restored coin by NGC.
Thanks

l.cutler · Nov 24, 2025

NGC doesn't really restore, they conserve. Conserving is really just careful cleaning. The reverse on your coin has corrosion etched into the surface, there is nothing they can do about that.

Hogtown Hunter · Nov 24, 2025

l.cutler said:
NGC doesn't really restore, they conserve. Conserving is really just careful cleaning. The reverse on your coin has corrosion etched into the surface, there is nothing they can do about that.

Thanks for the info. I read that they didn't like the word cleaning and they "conserved" coins. Wasn't sure how much conservation could do? So I'll just keep it the way it is. Actually it's amazing it isn't corroded more than it is.

Almy · Nov 24, 2025

That's a very nice coin. You can find many articles on the web with directions for conserving coins. Basically, you should stabilize it and then keep it in a dry environment. Putting it in a coin holder would help guard against contaminants like fingerprints getting on it.