Are fingerprints a negative when buying a coin?

Heck Sky. I'd o' kept that babe (bub)..........

 

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Nice FBL @Skyman

 

Finger prints don’t matter to me. Just damn glad to have the coin

 

Others have echoed my thoughts already. I might find a coin "attractive" despite a fingerprint, but I've never found a coin attractive because of a fingerprint.

 

Thats a great analogy right there.
I agree completely.

 

Wonder if anyone has been identified via a fingerprint on a coin? Either criminal investigation or historical. Might be possible to know items handled by important historical figures … lots of items that belonged to monarchs in Europe, American presidents and others are in museums. If the items were fingerprinted and prints were put in a database, it might be possible to find an occasional match on old coins. Some VIP’s in 19th or 20th century may have had their prints taken directly. How’d you like to own a half dollar with Lincoln’s fingerprint on it?

Cal

 

I don’t know about a coin but I do know on paper money they have. Any that’s first hand experience.

 

Interesting.

 

Guess this print is from a Mint employee.

 

I had asked about finger prints a while back. Everyone is different. If you just collect, well there is one you like

 

Definitely the oils by the time you see them have etched the surfaces.

I like that thought on well circ coins, you can't really hurt them.
But, high grade coins IMO should always be handled properly, by the third side.

 

Here's one that's not too bad.

 

I've replaced a few Lincoln's in my collection that had finger prints etched into the surface. This is one key reasons for all the discussion's around proper cleaning (washing) of coins, this is one of the main reasons for so many high end collectors that uses GALLONS of PURE acetone. Of course this is a bigger concern with RAW or circulated coins. I see finger print etched coins on ebay all the time when I'm searching for phony 09SVDB's.
A proper acetone WASH, or
A proper distilled water & dawn wash & rinse,
on RAW coins going into a collection can save a coin from finger print etching.
Handling your WASHED coins when your working with them and WASHING your hands in dawn just before handling your coins and wearing maybe some cotton gloves is a good idea too.
When I wash a coin that I value enough to put it in my collection, I DO NOT want to do anything or use anything that will change the color of the coin, or that could attack the surface of the metal of the coin.
Who doesn't want their collection of say RAW Lincoln's to be Brilliant Red, but if you don't get it that way, doing things to them to make them look that way because its cheaper can in the end make that coins far less value than left to the natural color it was when you got it.

 

Oops! wrong thread.

 

Washing a coin is the same thing as cleaning a coin.
Dawn is not recommended for coins not even in the slightest.
Here is the process.
Distilled water
Acetone or Xylene
some follow these with a rinse in distilled water.
Tap water can be used but always follow with a distilled water soak/rinse.
Cotton gloves can still be problematic, when handling your coins hold them by the third side.

 

I have not yet washed one but several I have picked out have been washed to death! lol!

 

Detergents, and dawn dish soap will change the tones of the coin. Not always seen immediately but you will see the change over time.

 

Its difficult to keep COPPER coins from turning (toning) I've seen LOTS of them turn (tone) in slabs.
If you don't TEST acetone to be pure, it will leave a chemical residue, so that's bad.
When I've washed a few with Dawn, I only us maybe two drops in say a cup of distilled water (copper Lincoln's).
There was a discussion about this not to long ago on a professional coin grading service's forum.
With some of the same results here.
A coin Should NEVER Undergo any type of a CLEANING,
Many of the higher end collector's commented to ONLY using PURE acetone,
Some stated that a gentle dawn wash will not react to copper.
In most cases when I've did a Dawn Lincoln wash the coin's were already FULL BROWN.
Seeing how genuine PURE acetone is risky to find and all I want to do is make sure that RAW full brown Lincoln's don't get put away with a chemical rich finger print, Dawn is a decent option for me, I'll take a more toned Brown over finger print etched that also causes chemical toning.
I feel certain that the most of us here are trying to do the best we can with our collections.
So, I may do something to a $.80 Lincoln that I wouldn't do to some other $10,000 coin! I have no consideration in putting my Lincoln collection in a bank vault (Safety Deposit Box), but if I had a $10,000 coin I would likely change my thinking.
My old 2000 Crown Victoria (car) had to set parked outside its entire life, but I couldn't have done that if the car had been something of a $90,000 vehicle. In fact If I didn't have some climate controlled place to park (store) a $90,000 car I would never OWN ONE!
Around 2002 we had a pretty cold winter, I had a $3,000 dollar motorcycle and I had it in a wooden storage building, all WAXED up.
One very cold night I had to get something out of the building and I noticed the entire motorcycle was FROSTED WHITE!!! A little later the wife sees me pushing it through the front door of the house! what a MESS, it spent the rest of the winter in our living room!
Come spring I sold the motorcycle. My mechanics tools was laying in FROZEN water inside my metal draw tool box, It made me ill!
So, when we talk about using a pencil eraser to clean a coin, for me I put that in a class of coins that if I did that to, its a junk or trash coin to start with, for me cleaning that class of coins I'd go for the baking soda and dawn paste.
No! I would ever do that to any Lincoln going into my collection, that's a different class of coins.
I can't ever own a high end automobile, I have no place to store it, but beyond that if I did I couldn't drive it on the roads in the area I live, it would be to much abuse to the car. So, I can't bring myself to EVER buy a NEW car at ALL!!! So, I'm left to used cars and a MAX value of around $16,000 and that's the wife's car, for me the limit at present is $4,000 I only paid $3,100 for the Crown Vic in 2014, then I sold my Focus for $2,100 ($1,000 turn around).
I have to put things in class, I metal detect for coins, not for my collection, mainly for Silver coins, and just the fun of it (both my older brothers metal detect)
So, I come across thousands of coins in a different class that HAS to be cleaned, but the silver ones only need a water rinse to get off the lose dirt, the metal in most cases has already been chemically clean with acids in the ground LoL! I've found silver coins in the ground that were shinny-er then when they were lost 90 years ago.
I have a work watch and I have the other watch,
I have work cloths, casual clothes, & a piece or two of dress clothes, I've got new pants that I wore to my Dad's funeral ten years ago, there still new, never washed.
I hate to see my $1,000 dollar car setting outside with 6" of snow on it, but a adding a $25,000 garage to my $50,000 house isn't an option, nor is buying a $160.000 home and moving.
How would I clean a $100,000 extremely RARE coin, I wouldn't! But, I'd be a bit scared to hold it (really, I probably wouldn't).
My brother-n-law a couple of years ago pulls up in my driveway in a brand new $60,000 Corvette! he's all excited, I walked around it, I opened the door and looked in it (I didn't get in it) he says I'll take you for a DRIVE! I said Ray, I don't think so, I said I'm not bonded anymore (I used to work as a mechanic) and I wouldn't want the responsibility of possibly damaging the skin on one of the seats.
Nope, not riding in one of the cars, I'll walk first. Yes! there is automobiles to pricey for me to sit in, in regards to if you break it or damage it, you fix it. That's the way I was brought up.

 

Acetone can be found at any home depot or lowes, Same with Xylene.
Old habits die hard. I would not use any type of dishwashing detergent on my coins ever period.
But they are your coins, do as you wish.
Acetone is more than acceptible for copper and does a better job.