Acetone Made Silver Ike worse

From my limited experience, you shouldn't have to conserve a blue Ike. Most of them look great in the OGP.

The proofs are a different story. I have seen very few in OGP that weren't cloudy in the fields, but they almost always dip to a beautiful black and white contrast when done quickly in e-z-est for a very brief dip.

 

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The 1971 Blues are notoriously cloudy when left in their OGP. Most aren't too noticeable in hand due to lack of contrast in the fields, but once you get them under camera lighting it is VERY noticeable.

 

@mikenoodle @MontCollector

On the Brown Ikes wouldn't most collectors know it had been dipped in EzEst? It's known that most of them are hazy and If I pull out a stunner with a dip it would be obvious. Would it still grade?

 

If dipped properly probably not. The chemicals they use now are much less harmful to the luster than what they used to dip Morgan dollars in.

Dipping a coin in Ezest or MS-70 is not considered "Cleaning" your coin. As long as you follow directions for using these products, you should be fine.

Most Ikes are not worth sending in for grading. If you want a graded set I suggest you purchase them graded. It will be cheaper in the long run with MUCH less frustration.

 

Here's where the answer gets a little foggy. [Pun intended] If dipped properly, there will be no trace of the cleaning and yes, the coin will grade.

If they can tell that you dipped it, other than by the outstanding surface luster, then it will not grade.

If you can tell you've dipped it, you've not dipped it properly. If you can't tell that it's been dipped, who can say it's been dipped?

 

There's a bit of a difference between E-Zest and MS-70....

With the former, you are permanently removing the top layer of metal off the coin, and what you want to remove is coming with it. Don't lose track of that - you are removing metal. MS-70 is a cleaning agent which does not actually remove part of the coin to work.

 

Although true, and pretty good advice overall, if you don't do the work, you won't learn nearly as much.

 

Very true.
The site below has taught me a lot when it comes to Ikes.
http://www.ikegroup.info/

Anyone thinking about starting a collection of Eisenhower Dollars should check out this site first imo.

 

Was just on it, great resource.

 

They have a forum that you can ask questions about Ikes. It isn't nearly as active as CT though. There are a few members from there on here as well, including myself.

 

Yeah, it is pretty nasty stuff. Here is what I do for cleaning silver cons with eZest. I wash my hands thoroughly with soap and warm/hot water and rinse them thoroughly. I then place the coin gently in the sink and let hot water wash over it for several seconds to take off any surface grit. I have a small plastic basket I use to dip the coin with. I put the con in the basket and give it about a half-second dip, raise it and dip it again. I immediately move the basket to the hot running water and rinse it thoroughly. If it looks like it needs it, I repeat the procedure. If you don't have a plastic dip basket, you could use some clean netting like bags some fruit comes in or use plastic tipped tweezers. If you use the tweezers, I would dip the coin, rinse it, change the position of the tweezers and again quickly dip the coin followed by an immediate rinse. When you are happy with the results (or disgusted - as the case may be), I do a final distilled water rinse and blot the coin dry with a clean soft towel.

 

For clad particularly, this may be a good idea also. Just haven't really had any experience with it.

 

One last comment...preparation and finishing are important. If you try either product discussed on a dirty, oily or somehow caked coin, expect bad results. Similarly if you do not leave your finished product scrupulously clean, you are asking for trouble down the road.

 

And don't forget - the damage done by dipping is cumulative; the coin never "heals" from a previous dipping. It will stand only a certain number of total seconds in dip before being ruined forever, and that number varies. I've ruined a few as experiments, and the longest total time I ever managed was about ten seconds before the finish was so dulled you could tell. The shortest was, well, it didn't survive my first three-second dip intact. Somebody had probably already dipped that one to within an inch of its' life before me, but it could also have just been a weakly-lustrous strike from a very worn die, with little of the microscopic structures which form "luster."

In your case, it's reasonable to assume that any exposure to thiourea will be the first for that coin, since it was in OG packaging, but in general the coin's previous history - which you won't know - is an important factor in deciding whether or not to dip a coin.

So you can see why I consider dipping to be a last, desperate measure. It's Russian Roulette with a coin.

 

I'd also take the couple seconds it takes to neutralize the dip on any coin you dip after you're satisfied with how it turned out. I do this after an initial rinse under running water after the coins come straight from the dip. Otherwise eventually you're going to get coins developing ugly stains.

 

I am still a big fan of using distilled water to rinse. Tap water has dissolved solids and other assorted chemicals that can remain on the coin after it dries (i.e., water spots). The risk is probably low, but since distilled water is relatively cheap and easily accessible at grocery stores, I figure why take a chance. Just my 2 cents (1864 small motto )

 

@Kentucky @Blissskr @Oldhoopster

What about a dip in a base right after the eZest? I was told to dip in a baking soda solution to neutralize the acid then do the running water and distilled water. I was also told ammonia could work too instead of baking soda. Oh, and I just bought the eZest...

 

here's my basic problem with using baking soda, ammonia, etc.:

try to introduce the surfaces of your coin to as few harsh (hi or low rather than neutral Ph) solutions as possible.

Reactive substances by their very nature react... don't bring them to the party if you can use water.

 

Ok, so my next question is what to put the eZest in. The one and only time I tried it I dropped the coin in the container it comes in. It was in there about 40 seconds and I freaked out and got the stuff all over my kitchen!