How To Spot A Cleaned Indian Cent? - Coin Community Forum

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 8 / Views: 1,638
Copper Feather New Member United States 30 Posts	Posted 01/27/2008 9:25 pm As I begin collecting Indian cents, can you guys give me pointers on spotting coins that have been cleaned? Report this Post to the Staff

KurtS Pillar of the Community United States 5318 Posts	Posted 01/27/2008 11:07 pm Well, obviously polished is one clue (taken from a current auction) When the fields are bright, but there's an outline of patina around the features...watch out! Or a level of wear that does not seem to jive with the brightness of the coin. And obviously, with a loupe you'll see more telltale signs than just this pic. Report this Post to the Staff
halfabustisbetter Pillar of the Community United States 1984 Posts	Posted 01/27/2008 11:20 pm I suggest you look at a selection of cleaned coins. One good place to look is completed Teletrade (teletrade.com) auctions. Without a free account you can search their last 60 days of sales. Just use the search parameters of 1865-1908 (if you use 1909 you'll get Lincolns too), all grades, and for grading companies just leave the ANACS boxed check and uncheck all the others--since only ANACS will slab problem coins. Choose 'small cents' as your denomination and off you go. In the last 60 days Teletrade has sold 13 IHCs with cleanings, and a bunch of others with problems you'll want to watch out for as you are collecting. I really recommend you try this as it will be an eye-opener. HABIB Report this Post to the Staff
1sikevo Pillar of the Community United States 1130 Posts	Posted 01/28/2008 01:01 am Polished and harsh cleaning is easy. Dipped and retoned (NT or AT) is a little harder, especially if done by an expert. Report this Post to the Staff
hunter20ga Pillar of the Community United States 1173 Posts	Posted 01/28/2008 07:23 am Do a search on CC. There have been a number a threads discussing this and showing good photos. Report this Post to the Staff
just carl Bedrock of the Community United States 20753 Posts	Posted 01/28/2008 08:56 am If any coin is cleaned, is nice and shinning, has a lot of wear it is truely noiticeable. If it is polished it will shine like new and have wear anyway. Some cleanings are done with a brush and leave lines across the coins. The problems come with coins that were only slightly cleaned and some time ago so now have attained a new old age appearance. Many coins used to be cleaned by collectors a long time ago since it was not considered a good collection if the coins were dirty. The usual cleaning back then was mostly with either spit or baking soda and water solutions. About 40 or 50 years ago I used to clean every coin that way. It was the thing to do back then. Those coins today are difficult to detect. The main thing to look for is any coin that appears newesh and still has wear shown has been cleaned. Report this Post to the Staff
Prethen Pillar of the Community United States 3234 Posts	Posted 01/28/2008 12:24 pm One of the most deceptive and difficult skills that you need to gain with Indians is detecting what a "good" color is of the coin. This is easier for circulated coins based on the advice above. However, for uncirculated coins this can be a bit tricky. What's the right shades of red? The only way you can really learn this is by experience. Buddy up with a dealer who does a lot with Indian cents and ask him to show you. Report this Post to the Staff
Gene Carr Valued Member United States 60 Posts	Posted 01/28/2008 2:37 pm What is the proper ratio of spit to baking soda? There is this dude name of Rick Snow. I think he knows a few things about Injun Pennies. He wrote a chapter about "Good" cleaning in RED BOOKs, A Guide Book of FLYING EAGLE and Indian Head cents. Buy and read and take this book along as you collect IHC and you will avoid costly disasters. Report this Post to the Staff
Copper Feather New Member United States 30 Posts	Posted 01/28/2008 6:41 pm Thanks guys for all the advice. It's all very helpful information as I prep myself to start my collection. Gene, I have seen that book before and do plan on buying it. Thanks again! Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 8 / Views: 1,638

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: US Coins and Currency Forums Forum: US Classic and Colonial Coins

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.3 seconds to rattle this change.