Coin Restoration: Is It OK?

In this post I want to draw your attention on the subject of coin restoration. In the following example, I demonstrate what I personally would consider a very good and legitimate reason for doctoring a coin to improve its appearance.

I recently purchased a small collection of silver 5 cents and unfortunately, most coins had been cleaned with an abrasive compound giving the coins an awful shiny look. Here I show the "before and after" pictures of a 5c 1915 that I would grade VF-20. The central bands, jewels and pearls are mostly worn away.



In the "before" picture, we can clearly see heavy horizontal hairlines in the direction of the rubbing giving the coin an awful look. The dull nickel-like color is also detrimental to its overall appeal.

A 20-minute 3-step process involving cleaning, etching, and toning gives the coin a much better look and draws your attention on the crown jewels and characteristics reinforcing its VF grade. Signs of rubbing are completely gone in the "After" picture.



While this process actually removed details, it also removed undesirable man-made artifacts. In my opinion the resulting coin has improved and justifies the procedure. I realize that cleaning is a touchy subject and that many would disagree with any sort of manipulations and for whatever reason.

In the end, the coin remains a VF, but a better looking VF.

Marc