Thought's On Collecting Cleaned Or Problem Copper Coins

Tough question actually. Agravating to see the empty slot in any album, no matter the format.

The coin will always be a problem coin, but, as you stated, some are not really that bad. I have seen several "details" graded coins, that 98% of collectors, would never deem them as a detail grade, if they were raw.

EVERY coin I buy, cleaned or not, I buy on it's merits (or lack of) and decide on the price for myself.

There a large number of problems that a coin may have and being cleaned is only one of them. Coins are a bit like individual people. Each is unique.

It really depends on the extent of the problem on those problem coins. I have no problem with cleaned and damaged coins as long as the price is right.

However with copper coins, because of the nature of copper, you really need to watch out for corrosion. Because I live in a rather humid area, those corrosion could become worse over in a matter of week. I'll rather have a coin that's cleaned instead of verdigris which potentially infect other copper coins. That's when you have to go to the extent of quaranting the problem coins and let them sit for a while.

By details do you mean coins graded harshly cleaned or pitted, corroded, scratched. Some details can be totally overlooked, out of sight out of mind.


I have also bought cleaned coins both intentionally and unintentionally The intentional one I got was dirt cheap, very old, scarce, desirable coin of a very attractive design so it doesn't bother me to own it. The unintentional was a coin I didn't look at closely when bidding, thinking it was an UNC Lincoln Cent. When received in hand it was actually an EF that was harshly cleaned. Not happy with it but the price made it easier to swallow.


Both coins I mentioned above, in their natural state, should have been brown. Instead they were cleaned/stripped down to the shiny copper. I am focusing on copper because It is much more noticeable and detracting when cleaned, than other metals. Bright shiny worn copper coins just scream out at you. The extent of damage and type of coin is a major factor to me also. Bent, pitted, corroded on say an early and rare copper is more acceptable to me than on a modern.


Do you mean corrosion due to acidic chemicals used to clean coins? I wasn't aware plain atmospheric humidity would corrode a copper coin in a relatively short period. I could see toning or mold being a result of humidity but I thought corrosion would take many years of exposure.

muddler... that 1869 IHC is a nice coin. I don't think I would label that coin as being ruined. Considering the details, and that it is a key date, I would be proud to own it. The green oxidation is natural to copper. I think its a very interesting piece.

"Problem coins" are FUN. They usually have stories behind them which can be more fun to collect than "non-problem coins" without them.

Stories and circumstances are actually one of the biggest reasons I collect modern counterfeits (which can sometimes be worth about the same as problem coins). :-)

It's easier to do this sort of thing as a set, though. Like a low-ball set of -- say -- Morgans: Try to complete a problem set that share similar characteristics. In the end, the set may also be worth more than the individual pieces as then *you* have added the story of collecting them to it. :-)

Yes I agree and it reminds me of a conversation I had with a seller at a coin show. I was looking through his $1 junk box and came across a few "problem" early 1800's large copper penny tokens from Canada's colonial period. These are relatively scarce and intriguing to collect, and so I am fond of them already to begin with. The one's in the $1 junk box were either holed, bent, worn smooth or all of the above. As I held them in my hand I looked over and asked the seller what his thoughts were on holed coins. He grabbed one coin and pointed out the square nail hole, before he could say a word, I suddenly got it. There was no need to tell the story of how the "lucky" penny may have been nailed on a tavern wall or door post almost 200 years ago. I was already there.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...:WNA:US:1123

OK so it's not a key, but here's a 1934 D red Unc. Lincoln Cent. that Numismedia list's for $20.70 in MS 63 Red. The seller's description is of a coin that photographs well but appears pinkish in hand. A previous Acetone bath is suspect according to the seller. That's fine and dandy, so it sat with a lonely bid of $1. with only 8 sec left on the clock... I couldn't resist to at least try and snipe it for $1.25, and I did I probably won't put this one in my BU Lincoln set, I just wanted to satisfy my curiosity and see this coin in hand. After watching what this coin gets in the same grade in other auctions, I still can't understand why the stigma was so high that no one at least tried for $1.50