Probably been asked a thousand times but

Coinsponge

Why does a coin with impaired surfaces from cleaning get a virtual numismatic death penalty but a coin with impaired surfaces from circulation gets a seal of approval from the TPG's? I am curious what my more experienced friends think here. Isn't cleaning just another form of wear?

COALPORTER

I'm more curious about the big blue arrows pointing across the screan?
What are those for?

AUandAG

It's one thing to intentionally damage a coin by cleaning or polishing or such.

And another that a coin see's no intentional damage, but just wear from circulation.

Apples and Oranges.

bob

DaveG

Essentially, it's a preference of the numismatic community.

At this point in time, coins that have been subjected to abrasive cleaning are considered undesirable.

I understand that in the past various forms of cleaning were not considered undesirable by American collectors.

Jcarney

Good question.

I had a few really worn (probably fr-ag) Walkers laying on a table last night. My son was polishing my wife's wedding ring with a jeweler's cloth and asked to try it on one of the Walkers. These are all cull, melt value coins. I said sure and the result was horrible. I didn't think this coin could look worse and it did. So, I think that a cleaned coin is just offensive...repugnant. A circulated coin is just in a state that it was meant to be in. It has served it's intended purpose and there is nothing offensive or repugnant about that.

Coinsponge

What if you took a cleaned coin in say low au condition and "circulated" it for a while. Would it bring back an acceptable circulated condition but slightly more worn or does the "clean" show forever? Or is it heresy to even consider such a thought?

DaveG

I think that, depending on the cleaning that was done to the coin, you'd have to "circulate" the coin down a grade or two (i.e., to XF or VF) and even the, the results of a harsh cleaning would still show.

PerryHall

<< <i>What if you took a cleaned coin in say low au condition and "circulated" it for a while. Would it bring back an acceptable circulated condition but slightly more worn or does the "clean" show forever? Or is it heresy to even consider such a thought? >>



Depends on the degree and nature of the cleaning. In most cases you'll have to carry a coin for a long time to remove all traces of the cleaning and you'll usually wind up with a coin with an unnaturally shiney, burnished look.

BaseballAbs

<< <i>What if you took a cleaned coin in say low au condition and "circulated" it for a while. Would it bring back an acceptable circulated condition but slightly more worn or does the "clean" show forever? Or is it heresy to even consider such a thought? >>



I would think you would have a better chance. Better yet, I would think if the cleaned coin had aged a bit and toned over it would grade, most likely at a net grade maybe even two grades. I think old cleanings as long it's not harsh with abrasion would get a better chance than a fresh clean coin.