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 Replies: 67 / Views: 7,626 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
616 Posts |
I started collecting US coins as a kid in the 1970s. At the time cleaning coins wasn't a big deal. I quit the hobby and recently returned to numismatics collecting ancients where cleaning is common and considered a must in many cases due to corrosion and chemical reactions (bronze disease). I've begun dabbling in classic US coins again and see that cleaning is now a mortal sin. So many graded coins have the cleaned qualifier on them, most likely due to handling by numismatists decades ago. Shouldn't how the coin looks matter more than whether it was cleaned in the past? I can understand if a coin has been improperly cleaned and made ugly. With ancients eye appeal factors into the price. A coin that is cleaned but with a beautiful patina will sell for much more than an uncleaned coin or one that has been scrubbed to bare metal. What do you think? Would you choose a homely but uncleaned coin over a beautiful but cleaned one? Just curious. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5825 Posts |
Do Cleaned Coins Bother You?
Depends on several factors.
If the coins are for one of my primary collections, YES it does.
Are the coins more expensive than I could otherwise afford, NO it doesn't.
To the best of my memory (and knowledge) I do not have any cleaned coins.
I DO have one DETAILS coin but I'm not going to put any serious effort into replacing it.
And I have a number of MS coins graded below -63 but I'm also not going to put any serious effort into replacing them.
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
There are a couple of stages of a cleaned coin . Not talking about ancients right now . Some coins with a very light professional cleaning is acceptable to most collectors .
But a coin that has been harshly cleaned can only be accepted by someone who knows nothing about coins .Most hardline collectors will not touch a cleaned coin .
As for Ancients that I know nothing about , I can understand why they need to be cleaned to an extent .
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3470 Posts |
I kept a few that I cleaned as a kid in the 60s to remind why one should never clean coins.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
I don't mind cleaned coins. Cleaning detracts from the value, wbich makes a coin cheaper to buy. I would ratber a cleaned coin to a coin with damage.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6370 Posts |
Depends of the coin and the severity of the cleaning. I have a very lightly cleaned Barber quarter that still retains much of its luster. You can only detect the hairlines in the right light, and it looks beautiful otherwise. This coin does not bother me. I have a PL Trade dollar that has been more-harshly cleaned, and it bothers me. The luster on the devices is impaired and the eye appeal is dramatically reduced. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
As most have already stated, only if to harshly cleaned. If just a small amount of cleaning, it doesn't bother me since I never sell coins so the biggest problem with cleaned coins is trying to resell them.
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Valued Member
United States
338 Posts |
Harshly cleaned coins bother me.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1911 Posts |
For me honestly I try to compose my collection of coins at really good prices. Eye appeal-wise I only care abput seeing the details of the coin itself and if cleaned in a way that it is uniform with nothing distracting too much from the details of the coin, I am fine with that plus it means it is much cheaper.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Too many variables. Depends on the coin, its rarity, the grade, how severe the cleaning was, and what the final eye appeal is.
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New Member
Australia
17 Posts |
Since TPGs became a huge factor in the numismatic market there are a lot more collectors nowadays hate cleaned coins than there were a few decades back. I think to many people cleaned coins do bother solely because they don't get graded.
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Valued Member
United States
338 Posts |
I agree with the rest of the members. If I'm buying the coin to keep in a collection and the price is right, a lightly cleaned coin doesn't bother me. I'm sure selling one is tough in today's world. I think in the old days, buyers were not as conscious or educated about details coins. Now, it seams to be a deal breaker or at least a big bargaining chip in some series.
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Moderator
 United States
188342 Posts |
Quote:
Shouldn't how the coin looks matter more than whether it was cleaned in the past? Yes. Light and/or old cleaning does not bother me, as long as it is not distracting. If I need a loupe to see the scratches, then I am not going to fuss much. |
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Rest in Peace
10197 Posts |
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
Cleaning not only varies in the type and intensity, but also on the type of coin. A mirror proof with any cleaning will cloud the mirror, even if it's only dipped. Most collectors who don't mind cleaned simply don't know how to tell which coins are cleaned - with the exception of parallel scrub lines. There is one dealer on ebay that cleans almost all of their coins, usually with chemicals rather than rubbing, then sticks them in his own house slab, inflates the grade, and sells many millions of dollars a year. So bad coins are bought by a lot of collectors, even those spending many thousands of dollars on a single example. You should make the decision of buying cleaned coins or not based on why you collect. If you ever intend to resell them, don't buy cleaned. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1656 Posts |
Almost all circulated coins have been cleaned at some point. 160 year old silver with no dirt or finger prints? Puh-lease. It's how they look now that matters to me.
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Replies: 67 / Views: 7,626 |
Posted 06/29/2017 09:21 am
