I was wondering how you can tell if a coin has been cleaned i dont want to get ripped off by buying a cleaned coin Thanks Steve
Unnatural luster is a dead giveaway, coins that are over 100 years old do not usually look "blast white" with a dullish finish.
There is no simple answer to your question. Coins can be cleaned in a hundred ways and there are a hundred things to look for to detect them. Your best bet would be to do a search on the forum and read the previous threads on the subject.
I've found it useful to clean a few coins myself and look at the results. You can get a few recent date MS coins at the bank and dip them, wipe them, whizz them, thumb them, use a variety of cleaning agents around the house on them, and even use a pencil eraser on them. It's sort of hands on training to develop an eye for "the look."
