cleaned coins
pine79
Posts: 4
hi...was wondering how to tell if a coin has been cleaned, and if it has, does it make that coin unsellable? thanks.
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Comments
For one thing, a coin should not be shiny. The absence of luster is a quick give-away to a cleaning. Any series from VF grade and above should have a remaining degree of luster. If it's gone, it's been cleaned.
As far as rendering a coin unsalable.....I've always believed there is no such thing as a bad coin (except conterfeit, of course), just a bad price.
Paul
As in many cases, experience is the best teacher in this regard. Might I suggest clicking on the SEARCH button near the top right hand side of this thread and see what you find after doing a search for CLEANED COIN.
I will add that even the most experienced experts can be fooled from time to time. A harshly cleaned coin can be spotted from a mile away, but a first class job can go undetected.
Concerning value of a cleaned coin, it's all a matter of degrees. If the coin is a high demand rarity and the cleaning is almost unnoticable, you can expect to get near retail price (whatever that may be). If on the otherhand the coin is very common and the cleaning is harsh... well... let's just say you can still buy candy with it. Does that make sense?
Another way to look at it is to see cleaning as damage to the coins surface. While a car that has been wrecked is worth significantly less than it did prior to the severe damage, it still has some value (parts). On the other hand, a car that has only a tiny ding in the rear left passenger door is worth virtually the same as if unblemished.