Is It Really Such a Bad Thing to Clean Your Coins?
Posted by baldeagleluv in Bald Eagle Coin FAQ, tags: clean, coins, really, such, thingQuestion by lathom01@yahoo.com: Is it really such a bad thing to clean your coins?
I recently inhereted my deceased Father's coin collection, so I'm very new to the hobby. All his coins are American coins, and many are almost pure silver or copper. Many of the other coins are either clad with silver, or made up of other types of metal. I plan to finish his collection and either keep it until I'm old and need money, or I'll pass it all down to another generation. My point is, I dont plan on selling any of the coins any time soon, if at all. I was unable to stop myself from cleaning all his Walking Liberty silver 1/2 dollars, but (so far) have resisted the urge to clean his Mercury dimes, Buffalo nickles, Franklin 1/2 dollars, Flying Eagle pennies, and Indian Head pennies. Some are very very old---AND very very dirty. Some of his nickels are even growing hard blue-green knots on them. To me, they are not at all pretty to look at but I've been told that cleaning your coins will reduce their value. How can that be? Why does it hurt the coins value to make it clean and shiney? It's still the same coin---with the same amount of silver (and whatnot). I also collect 99.99% pure gold and silver bullions and coins so I tend to look at this coin collection's value in terms more of the silver content than the numismatic value. I use a cream silver cleaner and soft cotton rag. I take my time and dont rub too hard. Am I putting tiny little abrasive scratches on the coins? If so, they are pretty latent because I cant see them! I would really love to clean up his entire collection, but first want to hear from other coin collectors with an opinion.
Why is it, Mr. Curious, that some people feel like they have to insult and offend the person who is asking an honest question? I'm not a "clean freak" that should give up my collection because I cant take care of it. It isnt a puppy, ya know. I couldnt care less if someone famous touched my money....you think they give a damn about whether or not I've touched THEIR money? Just by process of statistics, it's pretty much a certainty that many famous people have touched my coins. Their grease is no better than anyone else's. You must be one of those people who wouldnt wash your hand ever again if the President shook it. I asked a question so I can learn---not so I could be belittled by someone who is giddy about knowing something that someone else doesnt. I personally dont see any beauty in coins that are covered in dirt and finger grease, but I will resist the urge to clean them. I'll never understand how dirt makes something more valuable but if that's the way it is, so be it.
Best answer:
Answer by Mr. Curious Rides Again
It's all a mystique type thing. Old coins should look old. Besides, by cleaning all the "dirt" off them, you're erasing the coins long history. I mean, any one of those coins could have been touched by a great man or woman, and cleaning them, would eliminate that history. We don't know, but that's the mystique about it. You must have cleaning freak issues, and you should give up the collection to someone who would preserve the coins complete history.
Oh! By cleaning them, you are no only removing any history of those that have touched them in the past, you are erasing any proof that your Dad touched them.
I may not make any sense to you, but you will cut the value in half if not more by cleaning those coins.
Good luck with whipping the history away.
Happy Holidays!
What do you think? Answer below!
Originally posted 2010-07-07 00:17:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Other Related Bald Eagle Coins Of Interest:
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Entries (RSS)
First of all, try looking at those cleaned Walking Liberties with a 10x loupe (that would be a magnifying glass) and see if you can see any micro scratches then. It is not only the scratches; toning is a natural process for all coins and should be respected as such. Most collectors who look at a worn coin with a shiny surface see a hunk of metal. If, AND ONLY IF, you think those blue-green knots are corrosion, please check out the last link below (which, by the way, is intended for coins found underground). If you want to risk losing all the value in the rest of your coins, go right ahead and clean them.
Lets put the question into two parts depending upon the value of the coin(s). First – there are coins that have numismatic value because of what they are (key coins or what you would call – rare coins which may be worth quite a bit because of what they are) and those that have no numismatic value because of their date of mintage, place of mintage, what they are or condition (however condition may not affect the value of a key coin which may be worth a bit regardless of their condition). By cleaning the key coins, you probably will reduce their value which you really don’t want to do for yourself and the coin collecting community. The other coins which are valued because of the metal in the coin might just as well be cleaned if that is what you want to do because their value is in the metal in them and cleaning will not affect their value – case in point, a silver quarter is worth so much depending upon the value of silver regardless of whether it is cleaned or not. I have many coins come into my shop which have been cleaned and I buy them for their silver value even if cleaned – this includes silver dollars, silver halves, silver quarters, silver 20 cent pieces (rare, please don’t clean them), silver dimes, silver half dimes, silver III cent pieces, and silver nickels. If you want to clean them, please don’t polish them with silver or copper polish as this puts a layer on the coin that definitely isn’t wanted by anyone. Be easy on them – don’t scratch them, don’t use a mechanical polisher on them and save the elbow grease. They are a part of history and should be protected as such – but if you want them to shine, so be it.