Thread: Cleaned coins- just as much as uncleaned.

I was pouring over pages of coins last night.

The old adage that echos through the server on CT is :"Cleaned coins are worth much less".

While I partially seem to agree with this statement, the dealers don't seem too.

I see many NGC slabbed cleaned coins with asking prices not much less than their uncleaned siblings.

Here are two example. I'm not going to list any more as it is a waste of time, due to the fact that their is COUNTLESS examples of this.

Here is a 1889 Morgan Dollar. Unc details, improperly cleaned. $58.50 for a cleaned coin.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1889-NGC-UNC...ht_2606wt_1037
Here is a MS-61 1889 morgan.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1889-Morgan-Silver-Dollar-NGC-MS61-Toned-obverse-PQ-The-other-End-of-the-Roll-/320885642880?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item4ab64 65680#ht_500wt_1054

$58.50 for the cleaned coin, but only $53.50 for the uncleaned one!

Here is a 1866 Shield Nickel. Fine details, improperly cleaned. $67.50 shipped.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1866-NGC-FINE-DETAILS-IMP-CLEANED-RAYS-SHIELD-NICKEL-5C-BC219-/360441980015?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item53ec0 4246f#ht_2645wt_1037

Here is the same 1866 shield, this time F-15, UNCLEANED. $69.95 shipped.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1866-Shield-Nickel-NGC-F-15-Rays-/120890817700?pt=Coins_US_Individual&hash=item1c25a 77ca4#ht_5071wt_1037

Only a couple bucks more for the uncleaned version.

So I will ask this again, if cleaned coins are "worthless", then why do dealers ask so much for them? When you can buy the uncleaned ones for the same price, or just a tiny bit more?

Well to put it simple some do their homework and some don't.

BTW Listing something and selling something is two completely different things.

Cleaned coins are not "worthless". As a normal, they bring less but anything is possible. Sometimes problem coins bring more than a good coin. With these you must wonder the skill of the buyer.

Up to you detecto, why don't you save a few dollars and buy the cleaned ones?

I think it devolves largely on the *type* of buyer. Someone who is buying coins for a collection simply for the love of holding a beautiful piece of Americana will be more concerned with how the coin looks than how the coin got that way. I'm on that side of the coin (sorry, douldn't resist). If the coin is truly lovely, I'd likely snap it up. This assumes that the coin is sold to me *knowingly* as a cleaned coin. Then it's MY decision whether to take that coin or not.

On the other side are those who buy both for the love of the coin *and* for future investment value. Those folks will likely shy away from a cleaned coin.

It's a funny old world. Takes all kinds.

Two of these threads at the SAME time. We need more cement trucks.

You can ask anything you want for your coins. That does not mean you will get it though.

It's ebay - what do you expect? You can list anything for any price you want right now and you never know when someone will pay the BIN price.

Next time can you not provide us with an un-researched, generalized statement using asking prices for coins on ebay. Find actual sold examples through heritage or teletrade in the same time vicinity.

Originally Posted by mark_h

It's ebay - what do you expect? You can list anything for any price you want right now and you never know when someone will pay the BIN price.

Preaching to the choir

I think the thing to remember is when you're trying to sell to a dealer, a cleaned coin is worth nothing more than melt. When that same dealer turns around to sell it, it's lightly cleaned with tons of eye appeal left.

The comparison would only be valid for completed listings or auctions.

How many of these "cleaned" coins actually sell for those prices? I'll bet that most will be sold at far less the asking price through negotiations if they sell at all. You're looking at the wrong pages (as others have stated). You need to be looking at completed auctions.

With ''Buy it Now" listing, the seller can ask for whatever he wants but what he actually gets is usually far different. (See $10,000,000 error penny on di........).

Detecto, do you read any threads other than your own? Do you read any of the responses to your own threads?
I'm guessing the answers to both questions are no because you don't seem to be learning anything here.

It seems like the cleaned vs no problem coin differential varies depending on the type and value of the coin. I try to stick to either no problem clean graded coins or raw. I avoid details graded coins - but there could be exceptions.