When a coin is labeled CLEANED how does one go about putting a value on it if any especially if it lightly cleaned and graded by an expert who in their opinion has labeled it cleaned ? For example a 1906-D Barber half graded XF Is it entirely a death sentence for the coin?
Depends on how the final look comes out. Not all cleanings are the same and while some are essentially a death sentence on value others will be much less.
I am in this coin from a pretty good deal but I have to be honest I didn't really notice that it had been cleaned I haven't gotten it back yet but I really want to take a harder look at it
The value of this coin in its condition if it wasn't cleaned is nice but I didn't notice cleaning of it so it must be lightly cleaned but I want to look at it harder when I get it back
I look at the current value of a coin with original surfaces (catalogs, auction results, etc.) then take 50% of that. Then I adjust that figure based on desirability and appearance. Could go up a bit; could go down a bit.
I think it depends on two things. I bought the three dollar gold below in the late 1990's and gave around $100.00 for it as I recall. It appeared to me to be a fine example until I sent it to ANACS twenty years ago and it came back AU55, Details - Cleaned. I have held this coin for more than twenty years and today could likely sell it in a split second for $500.00 even with the details slab.... And here's the other thing. Coin collecting goes through radical fad-like changes. Today a cleaned coin might be a cancer. Ten years from now a collector may not care. Particularly if it is an eye appealing piece. If you plan to hold the coin, I wouldn't give it a second thought. If your intent is to market the coin soon, you will likely have a tough time selling the piece.
Of all the coins that I have sent in to be graded (exactly 2), an 1895 Liberty Head Eagle and a 1904 Liberty Head Double Eagle, the Eagle came back MS61 and the Double Eagle came back Details Obverse Scratched. When I asked a dealer the best way to buy gold coins, I was told buy them graded.
A value on a cleaned coin is determined by how it looks, the type coin it is and the date and mintmark.
I keep hearing "a problem coin will always be a problem coin" on this and other sites. That being said if it does not kill my bank account and I REALLY REALLY LIKE the coin............
If you like it buy it, after all, it's your collection. But yes, a problem coin will always be a problem coin.
I would say that a "cleaned" coin, if almost unnoticeable, might later straight grade if cracked from a graded slab. I do buy nice "cleaned" coins for my enjoyment, but then I've never sold a single coin or any currency from my collection, so who cares, plus they are cheaper than a non-problem coin.