Coin Cleaning

basestealer · January 26, 2007 5:47AM

I have some questions about it so I thought I would make a new thread to ask/discuss.

First question up for grabs--I have unknowingly left my change in my pockets and then put those clothes in the washer/dryer. Shined them up pretty good. When I was younger I used to polish my coins because I liked them shiny. At the casinos, they pressure wash their coins so customers don't get dirty fingers from all the handling. Now, let's assume people 100 years ago did the same thing. They might rub, clean, or polish their pocket change, just for the hell of it, or maybe accidentally. Let's say that happened 100 years ago. Now, it hasn't been cleaned since--and the coin resurfaces 100 years later. Can you tell that the coin was cleaned so many years ago? Would it affect it's value?

Newcomp103 · January 26, 2007 6:46AM

IF the coin didn't have an obvious "cleaned" look to it with the naked eye...under magnification you would likely be able to see the alterations on the surface.

basestealer · January 26, 2007 6:52AM

Alright. So a coin was released in 1890, for example, and some kid in 1893 got it and polished it up a bit. For the next 100+ years it waddled around in circulation until someone put it away in a collection, and now it's up for sale. You can tell it was cleaned? You can tell how long ago it was cleaned (100+ years ago)? And would it affect it's value as a cleaned coin, or would it just be a circulated example and the 100+ year ago cleaning really doesn't matter anymore?

basestealer · January 26, 2007 6:53AM

And my next question has to do with a product called MS70 cleaner. I've never used it, but I know my local coin dealer uses it and sells it. He claims you can't tell a coin was cleaned with it, if done properly. I realize nobody wants their coin to have been cleaned under any circumstances, but is there any honest opinion on the product MS70?

clackamas · January 26, 2007 7:10AM

<< <i>And my next question has to do with a product called MS70 cleaner. I've never used it, but I know my local coin dealer uses it and sells it. He claims you can't tell a coin was cleaned with it, if done properly. I realize nobody wants their coin to have been cleaned under any circumstances, but is there any honest opinion on the product MS70? >>

MS70 deos great in removing grime, haze from all sorts of sources. I have never used it on a circulated coin, it does work well with UNC coins. Make sure you fully remove the residue with water. use gloves with it as well, it will eat your skin off and makes your hands slimy. Generally this would not be considered a harsh cleaning and would not effect the grade of a coin in a negative way if used without any action that removes metal.

basestealer · January 26, 2007 7:42AM

He said it doesn't remove luster or toning, so I was thinking I might test it out on some lowgrade culls. Just for fun. I do have a problem running the coins under water though--part of me says this is a bad idea.

LOL, this dealer who owns a shop has margarine cups with dipping solution and coins in it laying on his counters for everyone to see. I never asked him what he thought about the practice, but I guess he doesn't mind everyone knowing he dips coins. I've never dipped a coin--don't know much about it. Can anyone tell me why it's so bad, how to detect it, and what it does to the value if dipped correctly?

bidask · January 26, 2007 7:46AM

Keep it to pocket change.

basestealer · January 26, 2007 9:01AM

I'm not going to dip my coins--however I do have coins that have been dipped. I'd like some information on the subject to perhaps make me feel better about the coins. Some have begun to retone. They were cleaned in a fashion almost undetectible, while others are very obvious.

billboat · January 26, 2007 9:10AM

Be very careful using MS70--it works but I damaged a trade dollar getting grime off.--the coin had very light appearrance on the high points and very dirty fields. I used a Q Tip and put too much pressure--left hairlines--not bad but a definite downgrade, althougth the overall appearance is better. I would suggest using it with a soft sable artist brush and going very softly over the area to be cleaned with light to no pressure. Then rinse very well in distilled water and let it air dry on a paper towel--blot and don't rub--should work!

BigRed · January 26, 2007 9:17AM

I think if a coin was cleaned 100 or so years ago and carried in circulation again for a few years that you could not tell it was cleaned.I had a nice AU quarter once that was cleaned and I carried it in my pocket for just a couple of months with some BB's and it looked much more original. Does that make me a coin doctor? And it did not wear that much either.

basestealer · January 26, 2007 9:21AM

That brings me to another question--"natural" toning versus artifical toning, even though artifical toning is still a natural process. Aside from recognizing artifical toning because it's so vibrant or brilliant, is there any way to really know for sure, scientifically? The process is just aging a coin before it's time, correct? I see that if artifically toned coins flooded the market it would devalue original toned coins, but aside from that, is it really a huge problem for the coin itself?

basestealer · January 26, 2007 9:23AM

For instance--coins might tone in their original mint packaging, they might tone from circulation, or they might tone from being stored in a sulfur rich album (which speeds the process and produces beautiful coins, I might add)... but what's the difference between that and baking the coin in an oven with a potatoe? Or fingering it and then blowing smoke on it? Or any of the other methods?

DaveG · January 26, 2007 10:53AM

If you're interested in learning more about "cleaning" (by which most coin collectors mean exposure to an abrasive (polish, toothpaste, etc.) or a chemical (for example, a weak acid), then you might want to read the chapter about cleaning in Photograde by James Ruddy.

You can certainly tell if a coin was cleaned a long time ago from the hairlines the cleaning left. (That's how so many 19th century proof coins got hairlines on them - they were wiped with a cloth a long time ago.) Generally speaking, though, the more circulation a coin has seen, the less people worry about hairlines from cleaning - an XF seated half with hairlines is a sad thing, but the same coin in Good? Much less of a problem.

As for MS-70, TomB (who is a chemist) posted quite a while ago, saying that, although he wasn't intimately familiar with MS-70, it was a detergent, not a "dip" like JeweLuster.

Coin Cleaning

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