One sided Dip Method
coastaljerseyguy
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What method do folks use if 1 side of coin has unsightly or worse, potentially damaging toning, but the other side is clean or has decent toning one doesn't want to effect. Talking about an MS coin. I've read of the Q-tip approach, but do not like idea of leaving dip acid on coin for more then a couple of seconds. Would think lightly rolling the Q-tip to not leave hairlines but do the job would take time, 10 seconds or more, to effect wanted results. Not talking about that minute spot treatment but an area that effects say 1/4 of a Morgan side.
Of course sell and buy another is an option but not looking to go down that path. Trying to improve what I have & more about stopping any potential future issues down the road.
Thanks for suggestions.
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It would be difficult to do submerge the coin only on one side while leaving the other side above the surface of the acid. Air pockets would be in the depths of the design detail and would give an uneven exposure.
I would either dip the entire coin with something covering the preserved side, or wet a cloth with the acid and quickly dab the side you would like to dip. I've never tried either of these so I have no recommendations on materials to use. I'd imagine some products would be damaged quickly with a little exposure to powerful acid.
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You easily dip a side or a section of one side for less than 2 seconds, even down to a fraction of a second - just have the water running and ready to rinse. The first dip will tell you if It was just light toning, or something worse.
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I have tried this a couple of times. Its hard to rinse off without the dip running over the edge to the other side.
hard, but not impossible, with some practice
30+ years coin shop experience (ret.) Coins, bullion, currency, scrap & interesting folks. Loved every minute!
You try using coin care to remove the unsightly toning with a few drops and a q tip.
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I was thinking of getting an eye dropper and maybe diluting dip 50%. Have water running and squirt the solution where needed, maybe quickly Q-tip any areas of concern, and immediately rinse off. I also have some 15 year old MS70 which I would believe is the original formula. This I can leave on since its a solvent and work slowly as needed. Not sure as strong as dip but may work.
Thanks for suggestions.
Q-tip
Q-tip
Q-tip - There are some good instructional YouTube videos from Ben the Coin Geek and Daniel at CoinHelpU. Practice on something else first!
Qtip in the dip, rubby rub (but not on proofs) and rinse. I rinse the undipped side first and slowly angle it to rinse the dipped side.
Practice on cheap stuff until you master the technique.
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Not recommending this and never tried it, as I rarely dip stuff, but would a coating of something on one side make it easier to dip only the other? You'd have to use a solvent that didn't affect the metal to remove the substance later. It would probably be a pain in the neck, even if it worked well.
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I don't recommend rubbing a Q-tip on a coin. If applied properly, the rim of a coin will keep the dip off the edge.
I've done it more times than you can count and never damaged a coin. If you qtip a non-proof or prooflike coin and it's got hairlines afterwards, they were there before, you just missed them. The fellow who showed me the technique has graded thousands of coins he's taken a qtip to. It's fine. Just don't scrub the coin with the qtip, and make sure its always wet.
You're a grader, yeah? No offense intended, but I'd suggest sticking to grading and let the conservators talk about conserving. They are completely different skillsets.
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oh boy, its about to get hot in here
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LOL, No offense taken. Many coins are ruined by ham-fisted collectors/dealers with Q-tips so this is a "do as I say, not as I do sort of thing."
Thanks Mods for removing my original post. I forgot that I'm just a coin grader and every opinion counts.
Hmmm. One sided dip... nah, I kinda like the ugly tarnish.
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I agree with you, not worth the risk, although if the obverse looked like the reverse that would be one lustrous coin. Still a nice coin that looks like ANACS soapbar toning around rim. Its when the toning is blackish I'm concerned.
@coastaljerseyguy - Yep, very similar to anacs toning, it's in an old fat NGC slab. Also, it's quite prettier in person. The reverse luster is a little blinding.
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There are a number of methods if you want to be conservative on conservation as I tend to be. However if the obverse does not match the reverse then people may smell a rat. If you just want to address a problem on a part of the coin, using something like "Conserv" can be good, pulls off pvc and surface junk without affecting the metal. When I use EZest, I'll have the water running in the sink while I use a Qtip on part of the coin, quickly applying to one surface at a time and quickly put under sink running water dabbing with a tissue. You can always re-apply. MS70 is supposed to be massaged into the surface of the coin with a Qtip. Then run water over. I'm sure others have better methods.