For the most part - this is an excellent article. However, as I have previously stated I do not agree with the comments found in the next to last paragraph. But many others do. Take it as you will. CLICK HERE
I am also a little concerned with the advice on "dipping". While PVC residue and petroleum gunk should be removed from a coin, (and Acetone is the safest method) I think the author's article would have been much better without the last few references to cleaning. JMHO
I agree. If they wanted to discuss acetone for the removal of PVC, etc., they should have also emphasized the importance of NOT cleaning a coin and that one cleaned improperly can lose value drastically. If I was a newbie, that article would make me want to take all of my coins and clean them.
As a "newbie" to this hobby, and after several weeks of being mentored by all of the knowledgeable moderators and experienced collectors in this forum, I thought the article was very good for someone new to this hobby. As I have found in all things in life, opinions differ greatly among experts and the cleaning issue in coins as it pertains to "acetone" dipping seems to be one of those issues in coin collecting. I would assume a staff writer for Coin World (I know nothing about the reputation of this company and/or magazine/website or the writer, Eric von Klinger) is giving his opinion about the subject and yes one would assume he is an expert in his field??? That all said, after reading the article and taking all the precautions listed in it I have found my desk looks like an operating room. My wife came in my study last night and asked what was going I had two spot lites shining on a desk draped with a cotton sheet with a velvet pad on top, I had on cotton gloves with latex gloves under them, I had a set of plastic tongs in my hand, my Sharper Image air/dust purifier running full throtle and my grandfathers oxygen mask on my face so I wouldn't breathe on the coin. All this time I was handling/looking at a MS-63/64 1879-O Morgan unslabbed worth $75. SHE THINKS I"M NUTS !!!
The attrition on many moderns caused by handling, collectors, minting procedures, and neglect is staggering. The zinc pennies are corroding at an alarming rate. The '68 mint set cents are universally carbon spotted. Apparently every single Philly cent in these sets has at least small carbon spots on both sides. 95% of them are so ugly that most collectors would simply not use them. This may seem inconsequential to most people since few collect modern coins and there are substantial numbers of rolls set aside, but well struck gems are very rare in rolls. Perhaps the only true high grades of these will be the small handful that were removed from packaging and cleaned before they got spotted. Other coins have suffered in large numbers also and some of them are not found in rolls because hey simply weren't set aside initially in any significant numbers. Today we have far better materials for storing coins than ever before but collectors tend to pay far less attention to safe handling. Even here though, some of the materials in use today have not proven their value in the long term. Others have been found to be wholly inadequate only after great damage has been done. Try finding a 1975 Japanese mint set in pristine condition or better yet any of the coins from this set. The plastic simply ruined the coins very slowly so now finding nice japanese coins from 1975 is quite difficult.
Well welcome to the club - you're in good company You see - most of the world thinks ALL coin collectors are nuts It doesn't have a thing to do with the fact that we are
