Coin cleaning. An acceptable way?

I had to use [ ] my words not those of Jalous because I still have not learned to post a Quote correctly all the time :0

 

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A lot of heads talking, but how about this, from me, "I never clean coins !"

 

On the bright side, the ability to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to information is another essential skill in numismatics.

 

I think an intelligent collector can figure out which is which by reading everything that is posted by the long-timers. I think by the end of each thread, things seem to get worked out.

 

On using a coin dip - A quick dip will usually remove a recent fingerprint or some light unattractive toning. In my experience the heavier/darker and more uneven the toning on a coin the more likely you won't like the results if you start to mess with it. I'm sure we all have stories, I'm thinking of a nice uncirculated 1934 Peace dollar I have that had a couple tiny spots that bothered me. I was advised to put a little dip on the spots for a few seconds, then dip the whole coin. After a couple of tries lets just say that overall the coin was not improved, there is a lot to be said for just finding a coin you are happy with before you buy.

 

The only caveat is, we pretty much have to say all of the words every time the subject comes up. Takes diligence.

 

There is probably one place already but... what if the moderator posted the definitive answer to for instance "What is roll rub" in frequently asked ?. Then a Newbie could be told to go there for an answer. After a decade, you guys must get tired of WADH. I'm sure my posts have added nothing to the equation!

Anyway the back-n-forth is quite an education.

 

In the real world, unfortunately, it doesn't quite work that way. Folks wish to interact on the Internet, to ask questions and receive personalized answers. Unless you're quite delicate, referrals to existing resources presented in lieu of live information tend to rub people the wrong way; they can feel as if they're being dismissed especially given the lack of the clues of inflection and body language on the Internet. And information is not static; what was good advice two years ago might not be today.

And anyone who's been involved in the running of an online forum knows the best way to effectively camouflage a subject is to make it Sticky.

So yeah, if your interest is in teaching these things you're going to type the same words over and over and over and over. Been doing it for the last ten years, got no intention of stopping. Every teacher knows the feeling.

 

One of them my need to consider if his opinion is correct. On second thought, they may need to disagree until one learns the "truth" by himself. I know of several instances where the opinion of one "expert" bucked that of several others who were also experts in the whatever. Turned out in each case the single person was correct and the others came around after seeing compelling evidence.

As long as both parties have an open mind, progress can occur. I have worked with a know-it-all on two occasions in the past. It can be VERY frustrating.

 

O' Great One, you are being VERY HUMBLE; nevertheless, I hope the other moderators know as much about coins as you obviously do!

Or do moderators just look for bad behavior, cuss words, etc. One thing for sure, they need a lot of spare time and eyedrops.

 

I wasn't a moderator because I knew a lot about coins; I know a lot about coins because I was a moderator. It was ten years' worth of forced exposure to issues which wouldn't have interested me otherwise, and to do the job effectively I had to learn about them. You can't moderate effectively without being able to drive a conversation within its' subject, in addition to the "customary" moderator duty of damping social extremes. Nobody learns more than the teacher.

 

The only method I've seen that causes 0 damage is HOT ,PURE(212 degree.)DISTILLED WATER,ONLY for a dunk or soak until the crud comes off/change as needed till it stays clean and then a PURE ACETONE DIP and air dry. NO WIPING AT ALL!

 

Onto the coin and when it changes to the WRONG color,into your martini to ease the pain....

 

This might be along the same subject matter thread.

So I pulled out my old (very old) blue Whitman coin folder, penny's, nickels, dimes and quarters. I started the books back in the 60's when I was 10 or 11 years old. I pull the books out once every ten years or so to check them out. I guess you can tell, I'm not a major pro-active collector.

Here's a test: Guess how a ten year old kept the coins from falling out of the books?

 

Easy question! Scotch tape. If you were extremely inventive glue.

 

Luckily, they probably can be fixed - unless the tape cause the coin to remain "Red" (if unc when collected) while the exposed portion turned brown. If you used glue, much easier.

 

Yeah, this is the largest worry - the likely "stripe" of differing patina. Acetone will take care of the adhesive residue, and probably better for the coins long-term to use it. It's the "least harm" path.