First Page
Posted 07/14/2021 3:27 pm
Quote:
I just want to say that we do clean our coins. It was here that I first learned about acetone and have read that several others use it. Is that not considered cleaning?
I just want to say that we do clean our coins. It was here that I first learned about acetone and have read that several others use it. Is that not considered cleaning?
Some of us prefer to make a distinction between conservation and cleaning.
In conservation you are arresting the effect foreign substances are having on the coin, most commonly by removing the offending substances. But you are doing so in a way that does not alter or remove any of the underlying metal of the coin.
You are taking the coin as it is and preventing future damage, but not doing any present damage.
The results can improve the appearance of the coin sometimes (but not always), but the key is not altering the original coin itself.
In cleaning, your goal is to improve the appearance of the coin, even if that means removing or altering existing metal.
If I conserve a coin by soaking it acetone and it doesn't look any better than it did before, I've still helped the coin because it won't look any worse 10 years from now (assuming proper storage, of course).
But if I clean a coin by mechanical or chemical means, not only have I altered (damaged?) the original metal of the coin, but I've virtually assured that it will look worse in 10 years than it does now.
