I Could Not Stop Him!

I've seen enough Antiques Roadshow episodes to know that I never clean anything older than myself.

So happy to have discovered this site before I decided to spruce up the silver before heading to the gold and silver exchange.

Two big mistakes avoided just by a little surfing.

Makes me a bit nervous to touch them now though, who knows what other rules there are?

But I am sure Mom and Dad didn't wear white gloves or anything.

Will be interesting once I get a list of what I have.

And now know more than I did 10 hours ago.

I still remember that guy who polished that IHC--despite a whole page of "don't do it!" A lot of learning comes the hard way.

Every year I remember that thread and read it just for kicks!

http://www.coincommunity.com/forum/...PIC_ID=54418

Not to mention destroys value and eliminates half the collectors who want it now.

There are several reasons for not cleaning coins.
One of the biggest reasons is most contaminates on a coin have mixed with the original metal and removing that, removes some of the coin. In some instances such cleaning will leave pot marks, scratches, etc. much more visible.
In many instances a small amount of such contaminates helps preserve the coin. Sort of like a shield against further distruction. That brownish color on Copper coins is actually Copper Oxide and slows down further attacks from the invironment.
Most collectors of anything old would like to see it as it was first made or as close to that as possible. This is why Hot Wheel Car collectors prefer the car in the original packaging. Same with mose really old dolls, trains and other toys. Old furnature too should not be cleaned, washed, sanded down since that too does the same thing, takes away part of the original item.
In some instances people replate coins in an attempt to make them look new. Usually this is so obvious and only ruins the coins natural originality.
Some people polish coins with auto polishes, buffing wheels, dip in jewlery cleaners, wire brush them and all to make them shine. Those are usually people that just don't know anything about real Numismatics.

You're a sick man, I kind of freak out every time I read "I've used a Dremel...and a metal wheel brush attachment." And the guy seems so satisfied with himself.


Another way to look at cleaning is that it doesn't restore a coin to it's original appearance--it only removes the original surface. The value is in the original coin, whether that's dark brown bronze or bright UNC.