Do "light cleaning" and "harsh cleaning" have specific definitions?

C0inCollect0r

Hi folks,

I often hear the terms "lightly cleaned" and "harshly cleaned" - Is there an actual specific definition for these terms or are these just subjective vague terms? Is "light" simply a term for "minor" cleaning and "harsh" a term for "severe" cleaning or do they refer to different types of cleaning altogether (wiping, scrubbing, chemicals, dip, etc).

Greeniejr

There are no set definitions for the term but as someone who handles raw coins I can give you the definitions I use. There are a lot of coins not worth sending for grading to see if they make it through. Better to call the problem and sell it raw. The list are from most minor to most severe.
Wiped- Light hairlines that resulted from wiping with an unclean cloth. May not be on entire field. On classic proofs they would almost always grade out and on business strikes may grade.
Lightly cleaned- A few more lines, and or deeper lines. Still not obviously cleaned but just is not right. Rarities and gold will often grade.
Cleaned- Obvious light scratches and hairlines over most of the fields and devices. Can also be a coin that was dark and was then dipped totally burning the surface
Harshly cleaned- Very obviously cleaned with marks over the entire surface. Very little original surface remains.
Polished- Totally and fully resurfaced with a cloth or some other implement that is not a wire brush. Can also be an ex-jewelry piece
Whizzed- Resurfaced by using a high speed wire brush melting away surface marks. Coin looks almost prooflike and is pretty much ruined

ranshdow

My definitions, on gold

Light cleaning: loss of color contrast in fields near devices vs. fields away from devices. Obvious lightening of high points. May or may not have a mottled appearance. There are degrees to this, and this category includes dipped coins, which one could argue are "harshly cleaned".

Harsh cleaning: hairlines, light or heavy.

That said, I've seen CAC'd examples of harshly cleaned coins by this definition but not so many "lightly cleaned" coins.

Staircoins

"Light cleaning" ... what the seller sees.

"Harsh cleaning"... what the buyer sees.

acloco

ARGH! Staircoins answered for me.

Seller - LIGHT CLEANING!!

Buyer - HARSH!!

BryceM

Dremmel, nail, file, grinder, axe, hammer, steel wool, rock tumbler = harshly cleaned

Wiped once with a slightly dirty rag = lightly cleaned.

Lots of grey in the middle.

roadrunner

"lightly cleaned" = market acceptable

"harshly cleaned" = market unacceptable

Note that for each series of US coins, those definitions vary. What's MA for a FH bust half would be totally different than MA for a Walker or Barber half.

A walker that is twice or three times dipped could be called harshly cleaned even without the hairlines. The FH half could be just fine twice dipped or even lightly wiped with hairlines. It could be that there's no such thing as a lightly cleaned Walker. If it's cleaned at all, it's probably unacceptable. You'll know it when you see it.