This is probably a little naive for you folks who collect old coins , but what is your advise for removing the patina on older coins , example , I've got an old 1865 2 cent coin in pretty good shape that I bought awhile back with a dark patina , ok to clean up or just leave it alone. I know that on old antiques the old patina is left alone and can really bring down the worth if removed ?
Don't touch it. Unless you are an experienced collector/dealer lightly dipping an unc coin for example, in most cases the cleaning will greatly reduce the value. Check out my signature line too.
Klunky gave you some good advice. Original surfaces on a coin are a must for me. Any attempt to "improve" a coin usually will destroy its value.
Actually, I do not think anyone can dip a copper 2 cent piece and remove the patina ( mainly copper sulfide ) without changing the color to a bright red-orange color of copper, which will look out of place for many many years. You can remove blue/green stuff like verdigris and PVC plasticizers which are different compounds with other compounds, but trying to remove a dark patina or "carbon spots" will visibly damage/discolor the coin surface. Jim
Yep. Agree 100%. I was thinking about a dealer doing a Morgan dollar in my example...anything silver.
