| Author |
 Replies: 13 / Views: 6,574 |
|
|
Valued Member
Spain
134 Posts |
I know that if the coins have major issues (i.e. holed, bent, or damaged) would discard them as collectable, and therefore, grading would not apply. But could someone explain how the grade of coin is affected by minor issues like: signs of cleaning, edge knocks, other knocks, noticeable marks, signs of being polished, and so on...
Would these issues lower a coin's grade, or would it also make them as good as scrap?
|
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
592 Posts |
Cleaned coins won't get a higher grade because the cleaning damages the coin. Also because it smacks of fraudulently trying to make the coin appear to be in better condition than it actually is.
Dings, dents, and noticeable marks which are the result of post-mint damage will lower the grade because, you know, it's damage.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
Most issues such as the ones you mentioned will not affect the actual details grade of the coin, i.e. the level of wear. Minor rim bumps can cause a downgrade of a point or two but a larger rim dent would just be seen as damage. When dealing with problem coins, the eye appeal of the coin is just as important as the details grade and eye appeal will have a major influence on the value of the coin. The impact on value is really dependent on the rarity of the coin and can vary greatly, a common silver coin could be easily reduced to bullion/melt value while a very rare coin might retain most of its value even with moderate problems. As an overly-simplistic example, an AU coin with a minor wiping(light patch of hairlines) might sell for the same price as a natural coin with EF details whereas the same AU coin that has been scrubbed with a Brillo pad might sell for the same price as a VG or Fine coin provided that those lower grades still have a numismatic premium over the silver value.
Edited by biokemist6
05/01/2012 10:42 pm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
2781 Posts |
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
A simple way to look at it is to think of a new car, boat, painting, etc. You want to buy that new car but you see a scratch on the door. Would you pay full price for that car? It is dented on the fender. Now how much is it worth to you. There is this Oil Painting you see and think about buying. It has marks on the edges as if someone used it for a scratch pad. Coffee stains on the back. Small hole in a corner. Now how much is it worth to you?
It is odd though that one of the best methods to sell a car is to polish the heck out of it. Yet with a coin, not the best thing for sales. Old coins as with old furnature, originality rules.
|
|
Valued Member
 Spain
134 Posts |
Thanks, that was all really helpful... well, I guess like with other issues regarding numismatics, it's all a matter of judging each individual case, and it all comes down to how people value each individual coin.
I was thinking thought... for example, with cleaned and polished coins, you could really repair them quite easily; you could just simply ware them for a long while with your pocket change, and they will lose all traces of cleaning or polishing; though I guess they would be in a lower grade afterwards.
How do you feel about repairing or restoring coins?
Edited by silvermaniac
05/04/2012 05:01 am
|
|
Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
Virtually everything in museums is repaired. The alternative is it falls apart.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
How do you feel about repairing or restoring coins? Many do not like to even mess with polished, cleaned, etc. types of coins. I myself like to purchase those since they are generally cheaper. Then playing around with them experimentally to see just how close to originality I can make them. This is some examples.  Usually polished coins go through the Distilled water, Acetone, Laquer Thinners, Mineral Spirits, Vinegars, etc. Some of the above methods works, some just makes the coins look sick. If the coins are cheap enough, not much to loose. My biggest success is leaving coins on a wooden block on a kitchen window sill. |
|
Valued Member
Spain
134 Posts |
Could you describe what each of those products do to the coins? I mean, what do you use the Distilled water, Acetone, Laquer Thinners, Mineral Spirits, and Vinegars exactly?
I thought that using those products would actually result in cleaned coins, instead of erasing the traces of cleaning/polishing?
Edited by silvermaniac
05/05/2012 08:49 am
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Could you describe what each of those products do to the coins? I mean, what do you use the Distilled water, Acetone, Laquer Thinners, Mineral Spirits, and Vinegars exactly?
I thought that using those products would actually result in cleaned coins, instead of erasing the traces of cleaning/polishing? Yes, all those are considered cleaned coins. And sort of excessively cleaned. The processes I use are dependant on what may, might, could have been used to make a coin look the way it does. By that I mean if I find a coin that appears to be so bright and have a mirror type shine, I assume it was actually polished with a waxy type material. I first noticed that at places that were demonstrating auto polishes by using coins. In the past I've found that Distilled water and Acetone have little effect on those so the Laquer Thinner is next. This almost always works to strip the coin of whatever is on it. An additional bath in Mineral Spiritss helps somewhat also. In the past after such treatments, I've noticed that Vinegar helps to tone down anything left in glowing on a coin. Usually a final rinse with Acetone and Disstilled water is a final attempt then left on a kitchen window sill on a raw block of weed for possibly a few Months or more. I've also attempted to use Jewlery Cleaners from Walmart. They have several different types and the one for Silver appears to work best on all coins coated with something. Regardless of the above, all such coins will never look like a normal coin again. And they will always be considered Cleaned. |
|
Valued Member
Spain
134 Posts |
Wow, if you didn't tell me, I would have considered any of the coins in your picture unclean; I mean, it's hard to see the fine details due to the jpeg compression, but all those coins look pretty good from here.
What about coins that have marks of bad cleaning (i.e. tiny parallel hearlines); do you know of any method to restore those coins?
And knocks or marks... would you even consider an attempt to restore these?
Edited by silvermaniac
05/05/2012 1:46 pm
|
|
Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
What about coins that have marks of bad cleaning (i.e. tiny parallel hearlines); do you know of any method to restore those coins?
And knocks large marks... is there any solution for these?
The only possible hope for a hairlined coin is to carry it in your pocket for a long time, banging against other coins. You need to literally wear metal off the coin, which obviously will reduce the value due to lesser grade but could at least make it appear more acceptable. It might take years. Large dings and marks are pretty much permanent. |
|
Valued Member
Spain
134 Posts |
I saw someone on a YouTube video putting coins in a sort of mill with pebble and water inside a sealed cylinder, then leaving the coins spinning for a couple of hours. This seemed to do the trick of simulating what coins go through for years in a pocket; but the coins looked unusually shinny and clean, almost polished. Have you ever heard of this technique? And then I also saw various coin cleaners for sale... has anyone tried them? About trying to fix dings; I tried it once with one of my first gold coins... I'm not going to describe the barbarities the poor coin went through, but when I was done it was no better than scrap.  |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
Quote:
then left on a kitchen window sill on a raw block of weed If I could afford raw blox of weed, I'd just send them to NCS and let them fix it.  |
| |
Replies: 13 / Views: 6,574 |
|
Posted 05/01/2012 10:40 pm
