I keep reading that coins should not be cleaned, yet I have been advised to have this coin conserved by NGC or ???. Could I get some feedback on cleaning vs. conservation? Does the conservation make the coin worth less? This coin was found with my metal detector in the Nevada desert in the sand, and I did not even clean all the dirt off it. Thanks for any advise or counsel.
"Conservation" is just cleaning done by experts. While some coins can benefit from judicious cleaning/conservation, I don't see anything wrong with that coin just the way it is. I didn't look up the value of the coin, so I don't know if it's a good one or not. If it's in the thousands range, you may want to send it in. Personally, though, I'd just leave it be.
It looks OK as is, to me, and I would leave it alone. Why turn an original looking coin into an unoriginal looking one and pay to do so?
Agreed ! Leave this one alone. I'm amazed a coin could be in the ground any length of time and come out looking that good. Since desert sand drains so well, I suppose it is much better for coins than most soils. Big congrats !
I say forget doing anything to it and put it up on ebay as is. Should bring in a pretty penny. If you are set on keeping it, I'd say send to NGC with the option of referring it to NCS for conservation, it is one heck of a money coin.
I did post it last year....still not knowing what to do with it. I found several "great" coins in the same location, and posted the coins I found on a couple of sites, but everyone thought I was not being truthful, so I pulled the photos and that was that. I am in love with this little half dime, and it goes with a seated half that I found with my metal detector in a yard in Elko Nevada 5 years ago. It was 1" deep, and when I pulled it out of the ground, it was absolutely shiny and beatiful. Although a lot of coins I find are corroded, and not in good condition. I have found a lot of indian head pennys, some really nice, and some terribly corroded. An 1877 penny came out of the same area as the half dime, but it is corroded, still very readable, but corroded.
