Revisiting The Many Discussions About Cleaning....

In layman's terms if you can remove the contaminant from the surfaces without interacting with the surfaces it's ok, otherwise no.

To answer those questions. A soft brush or soap would. The brush creates friction on surface which leaves micro hairlines from abrasion. Patina or luster are part of surfaces if they are disrupted in any way as a result of interaction it is cleaning. A bit of fear is healthy in this regard

Taking a very glossy and brilliant Morgan as an example, anything other than pure water active spray or pure acetone followed by a pure water spray and air dry (best drying type), will damage the coin.

What gives the coin it's brilliance and luster, as with most coins, is the microscopic scintillation that occurs in the very top layer of the metal. That layer, almost like fish scales, is MUCH more fragile than the metals hardness.

Even on circulated coins that luster, or toned luster, may remain in the tight spaces of the design elements. Any disturbance will negatively affect that remaining luster, even under toning.

Often a dipped circulated coin will show a "halo" around those same restricted spaces, and is a sure sign of cleaning, even if there is no physical contact other than the chemical itself.

Learn by viewing as many cleaned/uncleaned NGC and PCGS coins as possible. Heritage SOLD is a great place for such comparisons.

If you believe cleaned coins are not a problem because they are cheaper it's probably because you are uncertain of the differentiation.

If not, then thank you for being a buyer of such coins. I dumped almost all of my details coins a couple of years ago.

See the topic of cleaning gets people pretty worked up :)

Nugh said !

Actually a Brillo Pad and your sink are made of the same thing (Steel) so its not a surprise it scratches your sink.

I appreciate the input so far. I have a few follow-up comments to those.

1) Why would I EVER want to try to clean a Morgan dollar in such a condition? I (and note, this is me only...not speaking for nor speaking against anyone else) will never be obsessed with this hobby so that I feel I have to do something to improve a high grade coin to a higher grade coin by artificial means. I doubt I would ever have more than a handful of coins that could make a substantial financial improvement by attempting such, and the risk of value going the other way would be too great.

2) I think that Mox may have hit on it, for me. If the cleaning of whatever type causes some of the "micro-scintillation" to flake off, we have a problem. This effect is NOT scratching. It is flaking. It is not a matter of hardness. It is a matter of fragility. And I suppose that to the eye, this could be perceived as scratching.

3) As an everyday collector, I am more concerned with being a completist than I am a perfectionist of condition. Don't get me wrong. I keep trying to have an eye out for coins in every roll that will raise the grade of a slot in my collection. But I am MORE excited about finding a repunch or double die than I am in finding an MS65 in a roll.

4) JF's sentiment also resonates with me. Implied is the idea that most of us, at times, are ultra OCD about collecting. We can lose the joy of the hobby if we get too obsessed with the idea of perfection. If I can take a coin that few will want and clean it to look attractive, and it fills a spot, it's a good thing. And if cleaning makes it look unnatural, I would probably get rid of it as soon as I found an attractive replacement. I am not worried about reduction of value when we are talking about MOST coins, since most coins I currently collect do not have a huge inherent value. But like a Tiffany lamp vs one from the Dollar Store, I will be MUCH more careful in every way with the Tiffany.