LETS PLAY PRETEND....

OK, I'll bite...why?

 

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Hey, they're your coins, do what you like. With that being said, I think you would like to improve the appearance without harming them. The two main sources of harm to coins IMHO are scrubbing/rubbing (ancients excepted) and the use of incorrect reactive chemicals. The use of pure solvents is seldom problematic. If the coins appeared to have oily, greasy or organic residue, acetone would be a good start followed by water. Otherwise, this might work...wash your hands and run the hot water till it is HOT. Put the coin in the sink so the hot water hits directly on it and let it rinse for 30 seconds plus on each side. After this, an overnight acetone soak (covered container - it evaporates fast) and a blot dry. Anything beyond this require a some expertise.

 

I am grateful that somebody enjoyed that joke!

 

That is tragic!

 

Yep. A 240k mistake would be tragic by anyone’s measure.

 

I find it interesting that NGC refused to even put it in a details holder.

 

If you really want to clean and have the money to spend $300, contact the manufacturer of zerust Axxaclean(dip solution) and they have a solution. I decided I didnt want to drop that kind of money on a rust cleaner coin otherwise I would try. Im still waiting for them to send me a test kit.

 

I have an 1864 two cent piece that was found near the river in Columbia SC near where it is known that General Sherman held an encampment. The reverse is near flawless. The obverse where it was face down in the mud is horribly corroded. I had been tempted to try to do something with that corrosion. I posted it here and one CT member had a very insightful take. He told me that in its state, it is a cool piece of civil war history. Once I clean the corroded side then all it becomes is just another problem coin. Never considered any alteration of a coin since.

 

My old dealer (R.I.P. Mr Hino) told me if I really must clean anything, do like you were washing your hands. Don't scrub, just move them around. He also said to take off any rings when you're doing it. Then put it on a towel and pat dry. Make sure it is dry before you put it away. And when I was young I used an eraser on an 1875-S Twenty Cent in VG. Nice coin ruined. Learned my lesson.

 

This is patently false and perpetuating such a myth does a disservice to other collectors. Water, acetone and xylene don't chemically react with the metal in copper, silver, clad or nickel coins. They only react with contaminants that may reside on the surfaces of coins — and removing those contaminants can be decidedly beneficial.

 

Unbelievable! It's so simple and you don't get it. In the wrong cleaning solution copper turns pink. Who cares about the contaminants on the coin, it's pink for life.

 

"Zerust Axxaclean 3048 contains acidic cleaning components at a pH between 0.5 to 1.5. "
http://www.transbriteclean.com/pdf/AXXACLEAN3048_PDF.pdf

Close to 1Molar Nitric acid!

EZ-est ( full strength , new container is only 1-5% acid
EZ-est at least will not eat your toes off if you spill a little on them.

The other stuff is dangerous to use except in a lab with resistant plumbing, tabletops, gloves, goggles, etc.

IMO, Jim

 

Do you not get the distinction between safe cleaning and unsafe cleaning?

 

There is no such thing as a safe cleaning. A cleaned coin is just that, cleaned.

 

He meant, "properly conserved."

 

Well now, that's entirely different! Like apples and oranges, square and round. Conservation of a coin is a completely different matter than a cleaning. I am 100% against cleaning a coin but so with the conservation of a coin in the hands of a professional. Thank you for clearing that up as I never thought of that.

 

No it's not. It's merely a matter of semantics.

If I had advocated for conserving coins by using water, acetone or xylene to remove foreign matter, would that make a difference to you? It shouldn't, because removing, or cleaning off, foreign matter can be a part of the conservation process, and one that has no effect on the coin itself because those materials don't interact with the metal in the coin.

And while there are many aspects of the conservation process that are beyond the skills of amateurs like us, soaking a coin in water, acetone or xylene are not among them.

Look, you're free to believe whatever you want. You can believe the earth is flat. You can believe George Washington chopped down a cherry tree. I don't care.

But I do care that new and less experienced collectors know that if they buy a coin that has foreign matter accumulated in the devices, it may be in the best long-term interest of the coin for that stuff to come off of there. And they deserve to know that there's an easy way to do it that's safe and will have no effect whatsoever upon the coin itself.

 

I tell the kids it ruins the finish and you can't get it back. Then I show it to them in cleaned and uncleaned coins, and they "get it." It's no longer a brainless rule to them, it makes sense. Who has to tell them a scouring pad is likely going to scratch a coin? They're not stupid. A ten-year-old collector can figure that out on his or her own. It's about the finish. Teach them right, they know what they're losing when they clean. Informed, they make their own choices, that's how it's supposed to work.

Got any other questions?

 

A 10 year old gets it! Congrats to you sir.