What say you?

[poppa501]

O.K. folks--time to stir up the hornets nest!! I'm a small time collector who has been collecting for almost 50 years. I've been thru the clean(used to be very popular believe it or not!)--don't clean eras, and this seems (to some) to be a hot topic right now. I'll be the first to admit that unless someone has cleaned the coin with a brillo pad or it has been over buffed, most of the time I can't tell if its been cleaned or not. Ah-ha--that is unless you inspect it with a 10-40X magnifier! I don't know about you folks, but if the only way I might tell whether a coin has been cleaned or not is to examine it under a microscope, then I don't really care! If it looks nice to my tired old naked eyes, doesn't have excessive wear(another rant I'll get into later), and the price is right, well heck!--Its O.K. with me. Of course some say that I could avoid the problem completely if I buy slabbed coins. Nope--all the big three TPG's have been guilty of grading cleaned coins(and not noting it). Some have even graded fakes! Besides, If I have to buy a slabbed coin, the first thing I do when I get my hands on it is to bust it out of the slab and place it in my album. Well, that ought to raise the hackles on a few folks! Remember--Sticks and stones... What say you?

[akitaslave]

so is now the time to clean or not to clean
I have put some old sixpences up for a charity auction.

[JerseyDevil]

We used to 'clean' coins with olive oil. Let them sit in a small tub of it for a few days. This was the least abrasive.
Acetone was popular back in the '70s. This is extremely nasty stuff and will mess you up more than it will hurt any coin. Make sure it's done in a well ventilated area and wear latex gloves because acetone will be absorbed into your skin. Better yet, never use it.
Isopropyl alcohol was and probably still is used but I never cared for it.
Generally I 'cleaned' ancients with olive oil. If 19th/20th century silver coins were exceptionally tarnished and less than Mint a little moistened baking soda rubbed on and rinsed off and patted dry is enough.

[BenzCoinz]

Great topic you started poppa and here is my two cents...

If someone can't see hairlines on a coin until it's magnified more than 10 power, I wouldn't worry about if it's been cleaned. At 10x magnification you will see flaws which are not visible to the naked eye. There are a lot of coins in TPG holders that would have to be downgraded if inspected at 10 power.

My advise to anyone who has a coin they would like to make look better due to surface scum, haze, etc. is to use a GEL toothpaste and water then rinse. There are NO abrasives to scratch the surface of the coin and this will not usually remove original toning on the coin or disrupt the metal flow or Cartwheel Luster on the coin.

Never use Baking Soda on a coin... it will always leave hairlines!

Now, I have also left myself open for comments... good or bad, let's hear 'em.

Ben

[TiasTreasures]

Coin World magazine runs columns about these topics.

About cleaning: they've recommended the olive oil soak (warning that it can take a long time for a coin to clean up), the quick acetone dip, and plain old hot water and soap. Apparently none of these methods causes any damage to the surface. Baking soda, acid, ammonia, and commercial cleaning solutions will leave scratches or damage the mint luster. I don't recall if they mentioned alcohol. I've personally wondered about using WD-40, which is a great cleaning agent for soft surfaces.

About slabbed coins: They've reported several times that eB*y is loaded with sellers from China who sell counterfeit U.S. coins, passing them off as real, of course. So eB*y came up with their new rules. Only slabs from the big three grading companies, for starters. So now, the sellers from China are making counterfeit slabs! Periodically Coin World runs an article describing how to identify the newest counterfeit coins and slabs. The sellers read, go back to work, and improve their fakes. I've never bought a slabbed coin, never will. Slabs are for investors, who know nothing about coins and just hope to make a profit.

Most of the Letters seem to be from knowledgeable collectors. They agree with Poppa that the big three grading companies (approved by eB*y) are guilty of grading counterfeits, doctored coins, cleaned coins, and practicing "grading inflation". There's a new profession for people who trust their judgment. Go to coin shows, look over the slabbed coins, buy the ones that were graded several years ago (when the services were more accurate) or that they think are conservatively graded, break them out of the slabs, resubmit them, when they come back with a higher grade, sell them for a big profit. One grade difference in a mint state coin can be thousands of dollars.

I'm not in that league, still in Grading Coins 101.

[poppa501]

Great posts folks!! Keep it up. Especially liked Ben's post (#4) Gel toothpaste-Hmm gotta try that! Tia-are you always up at 1:30 in the AM? People, don't get me wrong--I don't advocate the wholesale willy-nilly cleaning of coins. I feel like its like everything in life--Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I know several people who do nothing but buy and sell toned coins. A few of these are truly beautiful, but IMHO, most of them are butt-ugly. To each his own. I have tried most of the mentioned methods with some degree of success (and some miserable failures!) My meager advice is this--(1) If you think you might like to try cleaning(improving?) some coins, practice on some junk until you are satisfied with the results. Oh-it should go without saying-Never touch coins with your bare hands. Get a cheap pair of white cotton gloves and use them! (2) Copper is the hardest to improve without it being obviously cleaned. Silver and gold (like I got a lotta that!) are a little more forgiving. MS and proofs scratch VERY-VERY easily. Be careful!! (3) If you have any high-dollar coins that you feel must be cleaned, you will be better off having them professionally cleaned. Check with some of the other posters or your local coin dealer. (4) Have fun!! I appreciate all the posts. What else is on your mind?
Poppa

[TiasTreasures]

OldCuriosityShoppe wrote:
Acetone was popular back in the '70s. This is extremely nasty stuff and will mess you up more than it will hurt any coin. Make sure it's done in a well ventilated area and wear latex gloves because acetone will be absorbed into your skin. Better yet, never use it.

After I read this, I checked the label on my bottle of fingernail polish remover. The main ingredient is acetone! Like millions of other women, I've been using this stuff for years, and there's no way to use it without getting some on my fingers. What kind of damage does it do?

[poppa501]

OldCuriosityShoppe wrote:
Acetone was popular back in the '70s. This is extremely nasty stuff and will mess you up more than it will hurt any coin. Make sure it's done in a well ventilated area and wear latex gloves because acetone will be absorbed into your skin. Better yet, never use it.

After I read this, I checked the label on my bottle of fingernail polish remover. The main ingredient is acetone! Like millions of other women, I've been using this stuff for years, and there's no way to use it without getting some on my fingers. What kind of damage does it do?

Tia--The acetone in fingernail polish remover is relatively weak and I don't you would have a problem other than the vapors and drying out of the skin. To be on the safe side, there are many removers on the market that don't contain acetone.
Poppa501

[poppa501]

That's I don't THINK you would have a prob. I'm such a clutz!
Poppa501

[saltzman]

Never clean, never. Unless it will enhance the quality and appearance of the coin, and the value only incidentally. And if cleaned, say so clearly in any description of the item.