some confusing coin phrases - dumb questions

Zulan

What the heck does "dipped" mean when you are referring to a coin?

And how can you tell from some of these pictures that coins have been cleaned? I have been researching threads like crazy and I see a picture that people immediately identify as cleaned. It is not so obvious to me at all.

Annnnndddd... what does "PL & DMPL" mean? I have seen it used but I have not yet been able to puzzle it out.

Thanks,
Zulan

mgoodm3

Dipped refers to dipping the coin in a solution kinda like tarnex. Cleans it up makes it white again. Very old coins that are unnaturally white are often "dipped"

PL and DMPL are proof-like and Deep Mirror Proof-Like. Refers to how shiny the fields are how much of a mirror they are.

Betta285

if a coin is dipped it usually means the coin has literally been dipped in a cleaning solution to remove dirt/toning, or just shine the coin up. At first, cleaning may be difficult to detect but once you become more experienced you begin to recognize if a coin just doesn't quite look right. PL and DMPL are short for Proof-like and Deep Mirror Proof-like. These terms refer to morgan silver dollars mostly, describing an appearence of mirrors, as if the coin was a proof, "Proof-like"

kranky

Dipping refers to putting a coin in a dilute acid solution which will remove a microscopically thin layer from the surface of the coin. It's done to remove toning. Done to excess, it removes the luster and the coin looks "dead".

Experience will teach you how to tell when a coin is cleaned. The look is not natural. Dull and flat.

PL = Proof-like. The fields of the coin are not lustrous, but more like mirrors.
DMPL = Deep mirror proof-like. Same thing but more extreme.

Betta285

Example of being proof-like