Everyone always says not to touch coins with your bare hands. I just was wondering if someone could post some pictures of coins with damage on them caused by touching them?
I have this medal that appears to have finger prints on the Grande Dukes neck...I have done nothing more than soak this medal in distilled water to clean off some surface dirt...did nothing to remove the finger print. its also been obviously scrubbed
Thanks. I'm kinds playing devils advocate for someone. My brother asked me and I had nothing to show him. What about paper money?
Here you go. I bought this coin with the pitch of the finder found it had a piece of wire in-beded in the coin and touched it and it came off. I could tell it was a struck through wire and bought it. After about a year the finger prints of the finder was visible. They weren't visible when I bought it, but now they are there for good. Even a touch a while back can make finger prints appear in the future. The oils, sweat, salt from the touch can leave permanent marks that can be seen later on. So best to make sure hands are washed and only hold coins by the rims.
I've looked at probably hundreds of Morgans on ebay over the past year. I've probably seen 20 or 30, slabbed and unslabbed Morgans that have a fingerprint show up on them. Damage that probably occured over many years after the finger print was originally placed on them. And I've only seen a very small fraction of the coins that go through ebay. Keep an eye out. You'll run into one eventually. Very distracting.
a dangerous game my friend for paper you wont see a finger print like on coins, unless the person has marker, oil, catchup lol or somethignliek that on their finger while touching the note. mostly fingers will cause smudges on paper notes.
Not all fingerprints will leave the same chemicals and not all of the ones they do leave will have the same effect on different metals, coins. Ever notice how some people can probably run a marathon with very little sweat and some people start sweating crossing the street? Some fingerprints contain strong to weak acids, different oils and salts. Since people's body chemistry is so different, the results of touching a coin can have excessively different results as well as how long they are left in place. And what you eat could also make differences in your sweat so what you leave on a coin's suface can vary extensively. I've seen coins with a finger print so obvious, it could be seen several feet from the coin. This should indicate that if a coin is to be considered a collectable, keep your fingers off. Many have found a pair of cotton gloves are the easiest and safest method to handle coins. Of course if your uncertain about the handling of coins, you could just send all yours to me and I'll handle them properly for you. :goofer:
NO, NO don't do that. Just tell him to send all his coins to me and I'll put my fingerprints on them and return them in about 20 to 30 years if I remember.
The original seller very carefully downplayed the print in his pics. I sold it last night (couldn't deal with it) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT&item=300308024993 $127 .... I didn't take too much of a bath on it.
nonsense everyone touches coins by their bare hands just hold it by the edge and we also now have a coin for u to touch the field and devices the braille in open capsule cheers
