New Coin Collector: Coin 2, 1896 Barber Quarter

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Author	Replies: 9 / Views: 1,108
allenciox New Member United States 16 Posts	Posted 06/29/2007 2:48 pm Here is the second coin I would like to get opinions on, an 1896 Barber quarter: Image: 1896Barber25obv.jpg 41.01 KB Image: 1896Barber25rev.jpg 47.31 KB Thanks for everyone's help! Report this Post to the Staff

allenciox New Member United States 16 Posts	Posted 06/29/2007 3:19 pm Ok, consensus seems to be that the other two coins I bought had been cleaned. What about this one? Report this Post to the Staff
GO Moderator United States 6563 Posts	Posted 06/29/2007 3:22 pm Unfortunately this one has been cleaned as well. Report this Post to the Staff
allenciox New Member United States 16 Posts	Posted 06/29/2007 3:25 pm Are there any guides available on how to tell when a coin has been cleaned? Or is it just something you know after years of experience. The only thing I have seen is about seeing a cartwheel effect when you turn a coin in the light, whatever that is. Report this Post to the Staff
allenciox New Member United States 16 Posts	Posted 06/29/2007 4:03 pm So what is the giveaway that this coin has been cleaned? I do not see streaks on it like on the other coins. Report this Post to the Staff
Jaobler Pillar of the Community United States 6394 Posts	Posted 06/29/2007 4:39 pm Hello Allanciox, You ask one of the toughest questions a collector faces. Very often cleaning is hard to detect and even harder to describe. I agree that this quarter has been cleaned. At first glance it looks like a nice BU coin with a sharp strike and no serious marks. However, if you look closely at Liberty's cheek and neck, you can see a lot of short, very fine scratches. The common term for these is hairlines and they are what you get if you rub or buff a coin to make it shinier. If you hold your quarter under a bright light you should see a band of luster that is at right angles to the light source. Tilt the coin in a circular pattern and the luster band should move across the coin surface, giving that cartwheel luster effect. A cleaned coin will often show reduced luster over the high points (like Liberty's cheek). In this respect cleaning can look a lot like wear. You might browse through other threads in this forum relating to cleaning. Many members have posted images of cleaned coins. The more you see, the better you'll get at spotting them. Report this Post to the Staff
trdhrdr007 Pillar of the Community United States 2335 Posts	Posted 06/29/2007 4:41 pm I struggle with this myself. I found an article about cleaning coins on Omnicoin that helped me out somewhat. It's not so much about how to spot them, but about different methods used to clean/alter coins. That gave me more of an idea of what to look for. Forum Mom told me I could link to the article, but I am too computer illiterate to do so. Look on the Omnicoin website under Numismatic Articles for The Truth about Cleaned Coins. There have also been discussions here about cleaning, you might try an archive search. In any case, it is very easy to be fooled by an auction picture. I won't bid on any coins that don't have a large enough picture to clearly see everything. I avoid coins that have hairline marks, or ones that have dirt encrusted around the fine detail(stars, numbers, etc) with the rest of the coin being clean & shiny. I also am wary of coins that don't seem to be the correct color for the amount of wear(worn cents that are bright red, bright silver coins with no detail, etc). You can avoid some problems by buying slabbed coins, but only if the grading company is reputable. That means PCGS, NGC, ANACS & sometimes ICG. It's a crying shame that people will sell you coins that are overgraded, or cleaned, or whatever, just to make a profit. Some coin dealers are just like some stock brokers, or used car dealers, or contractors, or.....well, I'm sure you get the picture. Report this Post to the Staff
allenciox New Member United States 16 Posts	Posted 06/29/2007 4:45 pm Jaobler and trdhrdr007, thank you so much for your advice. I will definitely check out the article on Omnicoin. Thanks again! Report this Post to the Staff
halfabustisbetter Pillar of the Community United States 1984 Posts	Posted 06/29/2007 4:48 pm I want to add something about (cleaned) coins that others might not agree with: if the coin is attractive and is priced right, I will still buy it regardless of its "cleaned" status. You just have to develop an eye for what you consider "attractive" and the "right price." Report this Post to the Staff
biokemist6 Bedrock of the Community United States 12437 Posts	Posted 06/29/2007 6:19 pm Halfabustisbetter has a good point- there is a big difference between harshly cleaned/scoured and a light cleaning/dip. I along with many members on this forum have seen coins come back from a grading service labeled as "cleaned" but in hand you could not tell. On the other hand, there are coins that are cleaned so harshly that even Stevie Wonder could tell that it was cleaned Early 1800s coinage is tricky because so many have been cleaned at some point, even if it was 150 years ago. A lightly cleaned high dollar coin can be more affordable than a perfect specimen and almost as desirable in some cases, it just all depends on the eye appeal of the coin. Don't give up yet because you will gain immense knowledge from early mistakes such as this, it happens to the best of us. Edited by biokemist6 06/29/2007 6:19 pm Report this Post to the Staff
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