Sending in a gold coin to get rated.

slpaith

Hi, I was just wondering if you would recommend sending in a 3 dollar Gold Indian Princess to get rated and cleaned. It is an 1889 and I received it from my parents. It was my great grandparents as a wedding gift. Thank you

LindeDad

No cleaning this is the way to loose 90% of the value.

Would make the coin more vabuable as grade would be known by the buyer and the slab protects it from any damage in the futher.

Sango

Do not clean. Do send to have certified (pcgs)

Sango

Welcome!

golden

Never ever clean a coin.

lkeigwin

Yes, it is probably smart to have your $3 gold piece graded and slabbed. It inspires confidence that the coin is genuine and gives you a professional opinion on the grade, both of which will be important when it comes time to sell.

"Original" is almost always more desirable. So, as others have said, never clean coins. If you have one that has serious issues that might be corrected with conservation then yes, turn to a good third party grader like PCGS. PCGS will conserve problems but will decline to treat a coin they feel is better left alone.
Lance.

Pandavab

Welcome to the forum slpaith!

Regarding your coin, as people have already said, you never want to clean collectible coins. This is because cleaning them damages the surfaces (regardless of how delicately you think you can do it), which can destroy the collectible value of the coin. Anyone who has been in the field for a while has stories of individuals inheriting coins and cleaning them, thinking they are "dirty," and destroying hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars or more in value.

In terms of grading the coin, that is a great way to do two things: 1) Preserve the condition of the coin, and 2) Increase the value of the coin if you ever wish to sell it, as PCGS would guarantee the authenticity and provide a numerical grade so that potential buyers won't be quite as worried.

1889 is a low mintage year, but was saved because it was the final year of production for the $3 gold series. Generally, they will be worth at least a bit over melt value (meaning, just the value of the gold content of the coin), depending upon the condition. If it hasn't been damaged in some way, and still has even a hint of that new coin "flashiness" (or, what the industry calls, luster), it can be worth quite a lot more than melt value.

cheezhed

Pics?

illini420

As the others mentioned, do not try to clean or improve the coin in any way yourself. You'll most likely do some damage to the piece that will hurt the value and probably make the coin look worse as well. Remember to try to always hold the coin by the edge as well.

If you are able to take photos of the coin and post them here, that would be helpful. We'd be able to get an idea of whether you're dealing with a piece that may have already been cleaned. Or a piece with circulation wear. Or a mint state piece with considerably more value. We'd also be able to maybe see if the coin has other issues that may benefit from a professional conservation (done by the grading service and not yourself) that could improve the look and marketability of the piece before it is graded.

In any event, it sounds like PCGS grading and encapsulation is a good idea for you in any case as it will help protect and preserve this piece of your family's history.

Good luck!

ricko

@slpaith....Welcome aboard... the advice above is important... and critical when it comes to cleaning...never, never, ever clean the coin. Especially gold, it is super soft... Cheers, RickO

Rob85635

@Sango said:
Do not clean. Do send to have certified (pcgs)

Good advice but before sending it in I would post good pictures here for members to give you opinions. I would hate to see you send in a potentially damaged, harshly cleaned or counterfeit coin only to have it returned and be out the cost of grading. By no means am I saying anything is wrong with your coin, but if I were you I would post some good pics and see what the consensus here is before you send it in.

Welcome to the forum.