Its OK to dip coins

I was at a different coin dealer selling some stuff.
He told me I should dip my 1936-S Oregon PCGS MS65.
FIRST, ITS SLABBED. kind of hard to do.
Second, id never dip a coin.
Well he told me he'd buy it for my ask and then dip and resubmit.
Said they can't tell if you do it quick, and that the natural toning on the coin is ugly.
Didn't mind selling him the stuff as his prices were fair but id never buy anything raw there.

 

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So, dipping removes dirt and grime, it's not gonna change the actual grade though. Please share who this dealer is, so I can make sure to avoid them in the future since they've proven they are likely clueless.

 

I agree with rodeo, I see dipping as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" fix, but it can only do so much. What's that old saying? Makeup won't cure ugly??

 

Most untoned old coins have been dipped at least once. Deal with it.

 

Sometimes it is OK to dip. What do you think NCS does when they "conserve" a coin? They don't pray away the dirt, pvc damage and toning.

 

I understand a breif dip and then neutrilization in distilled water is okay, but is there a specific product that you use for your dip?

 

Exactly. Of course sometimes its ok to do a quick dip if you know what you are doing. Some coins need it if their toning is getting too close to corrosion. I would rather dip a coin and not have it "original" than have a corroded coin. Prudent conservation may include a dip if needed. The key is having the knowledge to know IF a coin needs a dip.

If your coin OP just has non-attractive, (to some), toning I would not think of dipping. Only if you have dark to black toning, and its in danger of being corrosion.

 

Acetone from the hardware store, preferably the stuff that is not a nail polish remover with the scented flavors.

 

The 2nd half of that sentence is incorrect. Dipping can and often does change the grade of the coin in the eyes of a TPG.

 

Not if it's just removing dirt and grime from it or toning like from the original post in what the dealer in question is using as a reason to crack it open and dip to remove the toning from it. So perhaps somewhat incorrect due to the human eyes not detecting the actual grade of the coin.

I'd imagine a good TPG could grade a coin with dirt and still make out the details. Unless the coin is just so dirty it's hiding details from view or potential troublesome spots on the coin, but I'd say in most cases, unless the dirt is hiding such things, dipping doesn't change the actual grade of the coin. If the TGP couldn't grade it correctly before a dip, well, that still defines that the actual grade wasn't changed from the dip.

But I stand corrected that dipping does not affect the actual grade of the coin, it can't actually alter the coin to be a better grade and that's what I was trying to imply. I understand what you're saying but dipping does not improve the actual grade of a coin physically.

 

I guess it would depend on the "dip". Done right it would not hurt the coin - not something I would do. I can't remember who it was that submitted a coin, came back with a grade - but a little bit of a finger print showing. They cracked it, dipped it in acetone I believe - resubmitted and it came back a grade higher. Can't remember who did this. Still not something I would try.

 

When my dad gave me his coin collection...he also add this 'kit', what looked like a mini meth lab. It was a "coin cleaning kit'. It is from the 60's or 70's, and came with an instruction book that would take a chemist to understand. My point is, as others have mentioned, dipping a coin was very common practice since coins have been minted. Maybe you "seasoned" guys can verify this, but I don't believe toning was a very sought after thing until more recently. Anyway, I should really take a picture of this kit and post it. It's absurd.

 

I always remembered people telling me that dipping a coin would remove luster and can mask high level detail.
I also like naturally toned coins so I'm against it mainly for that reason.
My coin dealer that I go to only dips American Eagles if they tone but would never dip a coin. He said it's like sacrilege.

Rodeo, he's located by US 41, near Land o' Lakes, Florida.
Legacy Coins & Collectables.
What scares me is he said they do most of their business on eBay (300 coins per week).

Ebay:
http://myworld.ebay.com/legacycoins_collectibles

 

And really... Who is to say what is bad for a coin at all? What I mean is, people have all different kind of collecting styles. It is their own collection and can do with them as they please. Artificially tone them, drill holes in them for jewelry, carve them for art, etc.. You get the point. The only thing I have against any of that is using it for any kind of deception if you are a seller, or misrepresenting the coin in any way.

As a parallel, lets take classic car collectors for example. Some or most might prefer original paint, matching numbers, etc.. While others like to chop them, paint on flames, or put in modern seating and hydraulics.

If I want to take a buffing wheel to my coins, then so be it!

 

You should, I'd love to see it.

 

Dipping is kinda like eating.

It is ok to dip a coin in E-Z-Est but its not ok to dip a coin too much.

It is ok to eat food but its not ok to eat too much.

It is ok to dip the "right" coin but its a sin to dip the "wrong" coin (i.e. AU or XF coins)

It is ok to eat mushrooms but definitely not ok to eat some mushrooms.


You really have to know what you are doing. Condeming a dealer simply because he said he'd dip and then resubmit is not something I'd do since dipping the right coin can be very profitable with no adverse affects to the coin.

"Purists" will not see it that way since they'd rather crow about having an "original", undipped coin. Realists, onthe other hand, know the difference in that unabated toning can often times be detrimental to the "health" of a coin and not all "toning" happens to be a Mona Lisa!

 

And most of the time it's to the plus side.... just sayin.

 

That's not what I'm implying, what I"m saying is the dipping didn't actually change the actual grade of the coin (The grade was always there, just hidden from the person grading it), it just made it so it appears at a higher grade to the eyes of the grader.

I can have a mint condition Ferrari, just because I drove it through some mud and it's covered now didn't actually alter it's state of being in mint condition. A quick car wash puts it back in it's pristine LOOKING state that is already there.