To wash or NOT to wash?

I'm laughing too hard to read any further.

 

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Is washing your hands with soap and water considered cleaning? I think washing any coin

with soap and water is considered cleaning.

 

So,...... when I cleaned up 8 1938S/S/S , which went undiscovered by the coin shop I bought these 3 rolls from because of green slime, black goo and pocket dirt and lint, I should have just left them right? See that avitar right there? Think that fell outta my safe like that? No, I used acetone, toothbrush, toothpicks, AND model paint brushes and it looks just fine. I NEVER would have discovered that Doubled Die coin had I not. Just a little note there folks.

 

Look at it under magnification and a good grading light source and you will see the results from the cleaning.

 

Yes, those cleanings were all HORRIBLE ideas. Acetone was okay. But as soon as you added "toothbrush" or "toothpick" to the story, that's too far. NO mechanical method is okay.

 

This is my new candidate for the worst advice ever posted on CoinTalk.

 

I like it,... and that's all that matters to me.

Good thing I didn't say wirebrush, don't need any heart conditions here.

 

Great, Walt... now perhaps you could tell us about how you did all this without knowing the first thing about coins.

Of course looking at a tiny avatar photo is pretty much worthless, but is beside the point.

 

Well Walt, that's all well and good for you personally, but some of us here are trying to uphold the tried and true standards of this hobby/profession.

 

I is was me, I would say
"I'm not cleaning no coin" (with sass)

 

Your psychiatrist must be rich.

 

Mine is Dr. Uri Knutt.

 

Notice how you avoided the greater point....

Still, does that coin honestly look good to you?

 

Incredible, isn't it?

 

Yes, and a lot better than it did. I did not avoid the point. My earlier post stated i never would have found this coin had I not cleaned it.
As far as not knowing the first thing about coins,..... I know they spend first. I learned a few things collecting coins in 53 years. BTW... that coin sat in my safe 45 yrs before I looked.

 

Sometimes I have to wonder about how far left and right the advice on this question seems to go. Some say NEVER clean and yet others say Acetone is fine, distilled water is fine, EZ Zest is fine or olive oil. I sure wish we could all be more helpful as this seems to be awfully confusing to folks who have never collected coins before. Is there really any middle ground on this subject? I fear not. And it makes me hesitate to give any advice.

 

Amen. Well said.

 

I agree, Tommy, that there always seems to be a lot of gray areas regarding the question of cleaning, but would you want to take advice about how to fly an airplane from someone who has never flown a plane?

Chris