You HAVE to be kidding.....

I was looking at Mercury dimes on eBay, and came across this comment from a seller, who described his coin as: 1945 micro S mercury dime shiner decent.

"All of our coins are cleaned and sanitized so that you can touch, feel and admire and moreso enjoy. So, if you like this kind of approach, save us as a favorite. Yes, cleaning is very tedious, but well worth it to reveal the beauty of silver, design and minting within."


Well, they may be shiny, but they look like he cleaned them with a pocketknife tip, followed by steel wool. YUCK! I'm not buying ANYTHING from this guy.

 

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How about a link to the auction? Sounds funny.

 

I went to ebay and found the coin, quite frankly I thought you had misread his comments. You did not misread, that is exactly what it says. I looked at his feedback and I believe he has around 400 sales with the happiest customers on ebay. All of his coins he does not state that his coins are cleaned and sanitized. On some of the others he states he is new to this and attemping to supplement his income because he is handicapped. I also looked at his purchases. It appears he buys primarily low grade coins. Then and only then they are put through the secret cleaning and sanitizing process and he relists. Those of you here that sell on ebay should take lessons from him, you should have your buyers leaving you feedback like his.:whistle:

 

http://myworld.ebay.com/rickygogreen/
"All my coins are cleaned and sanitized. I think silver is georgeous and like to touch and look at it. (when it's clean)":goofer::mouth:

 

I looked three of his auctions and all of his photos of coins were out of focus. I wouldn't buy a coin based on an out-of-focus photo like that. I especially wouldn't buy a coin that the seller proudly states that he has "cleaned and sanitized".

His customers are probably non-collectors who simply want an example of these obsolete coins and think shiny = better. Ignorance is bliss.

 

sanitized? What did he use, a toilet cleaner?

 

Well,

He's not being dishonest about cleaning. Hey, they're "sanitized for your protection"! Of course the bids aren't that high either. Yes it's a different approach.

 

That's awesome. I wonder if he has any clue what he is saying. Although, it could be a sales ploy too. With Christmas right around the corner lots of people are looking to buy gifts, if you were a non-collector wanting to buy a coin for someone who is...wouldn't one that has been cleaned up seem the way to go?

Now, that sounds terrible to us...but most people don't know that.

 

Isn't silver self sanitizing?

 

I've never heard that.

 

It is bacteriastatic but not for all bacteria. It is also very effective against vampires...

Ruben

 

Silver does have an oligiodynamic action on microorganisms when it is in an aqueous environment. It was once used as a topical antiseptic in strep throat and tonsil infections before the use of antibiotics and in bandages for burns and skin loss. Better things are available today. The silver solutions turned black when exposed to bright light. This isn't too bad inside your mouth, but odd on the skin.

When I first taught microbiology in 1968, silver dimes were still available in circulation,, so we would put a silver dime, a copper cent and a nickle on a plate of agar covered with bacteria. After 48 hours, there would be a clear ring around the dime, a small clearing around the cent, and non visible around the 5 cent. The clear ring meant the bacteria were inhibited.

Class over.:hammer:

Jim

 

Yes, but isn't that ionic silver? Although I suppose that bacteria might absorb silver from the coin. I'd imagine that the silver inhibits some part of the metabolic pathway of some bacteria. What specific pathway I don't know.

 

Yeah that is not Silver! Sorry Jim...

But it is still done today but that is Silver Nitrate (swabs) for infants

There is also Silver Sulfasalazine, used for Burns and still a front line treatment. The heavy metal is useful. And then there is Gold Therapy and Arsnic Therapy...but I'll give a Pharmacology course some on thread.

Ruben

 

Silver metal though, as your experiment pointed out, does have a bacteriastatic affect...but not on Psuedomones...gold even moreso.

Ruben

 

Interesting auctions. I dunno. Sometimes I think that we, as coin collectors, have way too many blinders on.

As has been said in previous posts, maybe this is what people want? I don't know how many of you have seen that illusion where it is both a craggy old lady and a beautiful young damsel depending on how you look at it.

In addition, his prices are such that no one can really cry "Foul"!

 

I have never tried this myself...but I have no reason to believe it isn't true.

 

Well that is VERY true. Its more humorous than insidious. It is funny. People get something into their head and then can't get it out.

Ruben

 

It definitely has and as a dentist you should be aware of that because metallic bacteriostatic activity is used in Dentistry a lot. Its the galvanometric surface that impairs the bacteria. And it is also the reason why it works to stimulate osteoblasts. Steel even more the case. Surface bacteria on stainless steel have almost not means of colonizing. So if you sterilize steel and put it in the body, pin, plates, or implants, they never become infected although the negitive affect of metal on cell function can negitively impact the body directly.

Ruben

 

And the coins on the eyelids of the dead are to inhibit the vampires.......and Zombies.

Jim