cleaning methods you know about

[Guest]

i am a member of a few forums and today i found a cleaned 1918 wheatie to bad really cause they got it to be red and its a fully detailed coin which in and of itself shocked me the red tone threw me off a second i thought great on a quick glance without a loupe i couldnt see the date and i had not used it well when i was seperating the box take today i found this one which honestly i would of missed if the wheat ears reverse didnt catch my eye on second glance then the third glance made me wonder as others had claimed ketchup or catsup there i covered both the north and south spelling so as not to start a second civil war lol or even taco bell sauce would do this i also read its not safe and you would not be happy with the results so dont do it but that got me thinking is it ever safe to experiment with anything and what some of you have tried the most i have ever tried myself is using my thumbnail to get the deep green fungus off the details of the design i cant afford fancy chemical removers and this method works for me but then i got to wondering what other folks have tried to remove this stuff and even restore the red and does any method work so well if you were not honest nobody would know not that im trying to clean a coin to make it worth more but i got a friend im betting that i can clean a 1958 philly so not an expensive coin and i further bet id give him the coin if i cant fool him with one gem bu red and one cleaned gem bu red so im seeking what the unscrupulous dealers would do to do this to a valuable coin my most expensive coins 10 bucks so im not in the bet for money im in the bet just for him to see it can be done he thinks he cant be fooled i was and i been doing this a lot of years anyway the 1918 i found was in a brinks box

[BadThad]

Please use punctuation and paragraphs next time. Your post in almost impossible to read.

There is no way to clean a coin without damaging the surfaces. It is impossible to turn restore a coin to "gem BU red". The mint flow lines impart luster to the surfaces and these flow lines are VERY sensitive to cleaning. Once they are damaged either chemically or physically, the coin will appear cleaned to the experienced collector.

[jfines69]

BThad verdi-care is about the best way to stop any further deterioration in the long term that I have seen or read about... Any time you clean a coin the surface can be damaged and the petina will come off... Water displacement compounds such as WD40 can help in the short term but it can also remove the petina... For my own coins I soak them first in a mix of 25% Dawn dishwashing liquid and filtered water... This can take a week or more changing the mix each day to remove any debri... Just remember that this can remove the patina and on some coins will allow the surface damage to be more visible... You can never return the coin to its mint state!!!

[cimperialis]

I second the punctuation. I've never been able to read those posts, so I just stop putting effort in. Thanks so much!

[amosamos16]

This subject comes up quite often on here, and a lot from new collectors. Here is my advice. Dont clean your coins.acetone is fine, good acetone, not finger nail polish, will remove pvc residue. A soak in warm water, ok. If you really feel the need to clean your coin, if they are just so dirty you can not see anything, then use vinger and salt. Now this coin is now a cleaned coin and pretty much worthless.all the original patina is gone, but it will be bright and shinny, allowing you to exam whatever devices you were trying to expose. Imho if its a minor variety, really who cares no harm. If it would be some really fantastic find, you can have the coin conserved by a conservation company.

[Rollem]

Good find "King" and really good questions. Cleaning is always a NO NO.

So if you are searching, many times a good coin gets tossed because of dirt. Now if the coin can't be identified because of this it already is of no value. LOL I have some I would like to see cleaned up but know they would be totally not excepted by the community of Numismatists. So if I desire to clean one or try then I go for it whats to lose (interest overwhelms me).

My question is what is called a clean job? Well anything that alters the surface of the coin from its natural aging or minting state.

On occasion I have seen a dealer's coin that has had a brush applied to a area or detail to highlight the spot. Was this cleaned?

I have said before Cleaning is like "Picking your nose, No one admits it-everyone does it" LOL

Watch to salt and vinager solution it will destroy a coin. (add equal amount of sugar to stop crystals from forming)

Would love to see the 1918 that appears "BU condition" yet is cleaned.

[BadThad]

I wrote this for the NGC/NCS forum:

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=5052863#Post5052863

[Rollem]

Great article BT. Hope all read it.

[jfines69]

Why is it when a TPG cleans a coin it is called restored???

[jfines69]

I wrote this for the NGC/NCS forum:

http://boards.collectors-society.com...63#Post5052863

Excellent article... Straight forward and to the point... Cleaner beware... From my own experiments... I am not concerned about the coins I own for they are not being sold!!!

[BadThad]

Why is it when a TPG cleans a coin it is called restored???

Because they do not clean coins, they conserve them. There is a difference. Conservation is a scientific, calculated process where the outcome can be accurately predicted. Cleaning is a non-calculated, haphazard shot in the dark where the outcome is usually unsatisfactory.

[corroded]

I feel you may write and convey to us what you need to say any way you want to do it because you
write the way I talk sometimes just on and on and on. Grammer and punctuation is fine for those that
feel they need to do it but personally I have never had a bit of trouble understanding what you have to
say to us. I bought a whole collection of cleaned cents once they were cheap and I still have them
someone took a lot of pains in cleaning up that set as it must have been a labor of love for them. It is
mine now and I guess it will always be mine I am not in the hobby for money just for the thrill and rush
I get when I find something I think is cool. KEEP SEARCHING JIMBO If we were all the same wouldnt we
be bored??

Bill

[jfines69]

Because they do not clean coins, they conserve them. There is a difference. Conservation is a scientific, calculated process where the outcome can be accurately predicted. Cleaning is a non-calculated, haphazard shot in the dark where the outcome is usually unsatisfactory.

I am glad you responded... You explained it much better than I ever could!!!