How To Tell If A Morgan Silver Dollar Has Been Cleaned

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I talk a lot about cleaned coins versus uncleaned coins here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins.

You may exist wondering what the big fuss is about cleaning coins and perhaps ask yourself why virtually collectors don't want cleaned coins.

Or, you may be trying to effigy out what a cleaned money looks like versus a regular, uncleaned coin.

If you fall into either of those two camps, this post is for you.

What Is A Cleaned Coin?

Okay, then you lot may be wondering what I'thou referring to when I'm talking about a cleaned coin.

Cleaned coins are those that have been:

• Done with soap, toothpaste, or baking soda
• Dipped in jewelry cleaner
• Soaked in ketchup, taco sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, or some other acidic additive
• Rinsed in bleach, motor oil, or grease
• Scrubbed with a pad, steel wool, or another type of abrasive cleaning implement
• Polished with whatsoever blazon of cleaner or rag
• Doctored in any way to alter the appearance of the finish

You'll be surprised how many coins have been subjected to abuses from the in a higher place. Many coins from the 19th and early 20th centuries have met such fates, and they are only now becoming acceptable for the well-nigh scrutinizing of numismatists to collect again every bit these cleaned coins retone.

Most of those once-cleaned coins turn up in tertiary-party certified slabs with the scarlet letter of a "internet grade" or "cleaned" descriptor on their holder labels.

The lesser line is, if your money has been altered by abrasive cleaners, chemicals, or otherwise as described above, it'due south considered as cleaned.

Only why is this bad?

Why It's Bad To Clean Coins

Why do I always make such a big bargain nigh cleaning coins and by and large suggest readers confronting it?

Because cleaning a coin removes its natural patina – the color and protective layer that forms on a coin over many years.

About numismatists prefer that their coins take their original patina for the sake of originality.

What takes fifty, fourscore, 100, or more years to naturally course on a coin be polished away within mere seconds by the mere rubbing of a baking soda-laced pollex over the fields and devices of an otherwise beautiful coin.

Not simply does a cleaned coin lack originality, it also is devoid of a very thin layer of metallic. You run into, cleaning a coin strips off the very height layer of metal, which essentially damages the coin beyond repair.

Cleaning coins is a big numismatic no-no, and many fine, rare coins have been ruined over the years by numismatists who were attempting to "upgrade" the appearance of their older coins.

I can't stress information technology enough – Don't do information technology!

Bottom line — forget most trying to brand your coin look "shiny and new." Retrieve, when it comes to onetime coins, looking new is not good!

When And How You Tin Safely Clean Coins

There are relatively few occasions when I'd e'er advise that cleaning a coin may be advisable:

• The coin has ugly and potentially damaging green polyvinylchloride (PVC) goo from an old plastic coin holder.
• The money has loose dirt and debris on it.
• An ancient money needs cleaning for proper attribution or identification.

Here are 3 safety methods for cleaning coins in the above scenarios:

1. For a coin that has loose clay and debris, concur information technologyunder gently running, tepid water for a few seconds so pat — don't rub — information technology dry with a soft cloth.
2. If your coin has green PVC rest, you can remove information technology by carefully by dipping the coin in acetone for about 30 seconds, removing tough spots with a cotton swab, and letting the coin air dry. Warning, warning, alarm… if you utilize the acetone method, be sure to habiliment latex gloves and only use the acetone in a well-ventilated area to avoid the fumes. Make certain you simply use acetone from a hardware store. Most grocery store acetone is labeled as smash smoothen remover and has fragrances that can damage the coin surface.
3. Clean your dirty aboriginal coins past letting them sit in distilled water for up to 7 days, and so follow that upward by letting them soak in regular olive oil for upwardly to a calendar month. This should yield really practiced results and help you avoid having to utilize more than extreme measures such as using abrasives, oestrus, or strong chemicals.

How To Tell If A Coin Has Been Cleaned

Now that I've talked a bit well-nigh how coins are frequently cleaned and why it's not advisable to "improve" the look of your coins, I tin can now tell you what you need to know in order to avoid buying cleaned coins.

• A cleaned money will accept a dull, brilliant await – ane that on a well-circulated money would seem unnatural.
• Onetime pennies that have been worn should not expect bright orangish and accept flashy surfaces. Old, worn pennies should be medium to dark brownish in color and take most no reflectivity on the surface at all.
• Old silver coins will expect grey in color with darker patination around the devices, such as the lettering, date, and principal blueprint elements. A flashy, white silver coin that has conspicuously been worn is a clear giveaway that it has been cleaned.
• Uncirculated or about uncirculated coins should have lustrous surfaces and radiating lines that reverberate shimmers of low-cal in a cartwheel design as the coin is turned or rotated.
• The luster of a cleaned coin will be severely impaired, if not lost altogether. Therefore, if an uncirculated coin has been cleaned, the best style to tell is to see if it has any cartwheel luster. If it doesn't, then don't buy the money.

Older coins that accept been cleaned in the by may prove evidence of a by cleaning in a few key ways:

• Crud effectually design elements and lettering
• Testify of heavy, dark toning on some parts of the money but not on others
• Deadening appearance in the fields

How To Avoid Buying Cleaned Coins

Permit me but tell you right off the bat that there is no such thing as a foolproof way to avert buying a cleaned coin.

Sometimes, a cleaned money is but deceptive enough every bit to avoid being caught. And sometimes a money that was cleaned long agone may have regained enough patina to mask the one-time cleaning.

If you're buying your money from an online coin dealer or eBay:

• Only buy from individuals who evidence photos of the actual coin yous're bidding on.
• Make sure the seller has a good reputation score and has been selling coins for at to the lowest degree a twelvemonth or two.
• Ensure the seller has a proficient return policy – 7 to 14 days is common.
• Inquire the seller if the coin has been cleaned. If he or she doesn't know or refuses to answer, move on.
• Buy slabbed coins that have been certified by reputable third-party coin companies like PCGS, NGC, or ANACS.

That final point, well-nigh buying coins that have been certified, should be taken with circumspection. Some holders have been faked or altered.

And the label information on any certified coin slab represents only a second stance – at that place is no guarantee that the coin inside is precisely what the label says.

In the end, y'all notwithstanding need to utilize your all-time judgment when buying slabbed coins or any coin – and always inspect each piece you buy with a coin loupe beforehand whenever possible.

More than Virtually Cleaned Coins

• Why Cleaned Coins Can't Exist Uncleaned
• Detecting Cleaned Coins
• Improper Coin Cleanings
• How To Tell Which Coins On eBay Are Cleaned
• How To Re-Tone Silver Coins
• How To Re-Tone Copper Coins

I'chiliad the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I'1000 a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and accept won multiple awards from the NLG for my piece of work as a coin announcer. I'm also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The U.s. Mint in Philadelphia (a volume that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I've contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I've authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments beneath!

Source: https://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/cleaned-coins/

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