Cleaned With Details Vs. Uncleaned But Worn (Type Albums)

I started putting together my IHC and 'wheatie' collection years ago when I had limited funding. At that time I could only afford the more common dates in primarily good condition. Then I did not know the difference between a cleaned and uncleaned coin, and I wouldn't have cared. My only interest was filling as many holes in my Whitman folder that I could.

Now that I am retired and more secure financially, I am upgrading and buying quality coins to add to my collection, and filling those empty holes in my Dansco.

So I guess what I am saying is buy whatever coins that please you, fill as many holes as you can afford and enjoy your collection with the thought in mind that down the road you may be able to replace these coins and upgrade your collection with more desirable coins.

I agree with Johnny that it depends.

I have a few cleaned coins in my 7070 but they still have what I consider to be an overall attractive appearance due to either re-toning or having been lightly cleaned with evidence only visible under magnification.

I would rather wait than to put an obviously harshly cleaned coin into a slot but I would certainly consider a lightly cleaned coin if attractive.

Well, I can honestly say I like the look of toned or otherwise darkened coins, but the lack of detail in worn coins really drives me crazy. A coin doesn't have to be shiny and white, but I'd like to at least be able to see all the important features.

Too many times I've owned coins with great detail but have some problem, such as cleaning. And, too many times I get my head handed back to me when I go to sell and I'm on the losing end. If your coin has any "But's" about it (it's great, BUT...), you'll notice it every time you look at that coin. That said, some people don't care about owning a coin like that, especially if the price is right.

I'd love to have only problem free coins with great detail. My financial situation doesn't allow for that so if the problem is not distracting I'll go for it. The key for me is that I have to KNOW I can resell for more than I paid. That means buying for enough under market to recoup the purchase price. With those criteria I still have empty holes in my type set.

The earlier the coin is, the more likely it is I would accept a cleaned version.

Given that light cleaning was an acceptable practice in the collecting world many decades ago, even some TPG's have issued regular slabs for a few lightly cleaned/dipped coins (especially for pre-Civil War issues).

Also, some designs look better in G-VG grade than others.
A Barber in "G" is a yawner, but in "AU" (even with details), it's a whole other story visually.

It's not an "either/or" proposition. As in, "I'm going to buy a harshly cleaned/polished coin because it's cheap" OR "I'm going to buy a heavily worn, problem-free coin for about the same money".

With patience you can often find lightly cleaned pieces with excellent remaining detail for steep discounts. Harshly cleaned and polished coins should always be steeply discounted.

You can also look for under-graded pieces but that's a whole 'nother animal........