I have two questions.. One: Which of these coins have been cleaned?: http://s940.photobucket.com/albums/ad248/mmcoins4969/ecleticcoins/?action=view¤t=Picture.jpg And how can one tell if a coin has been cleaned?
I don't know which one has been cleaned. possibly several.. That sure looks like a soft flip on the'21. Is it? How can one tell if a coin has been cleaned? I think a good way is to examine many examples of PCGS cert coins. When you know what an original coin looks like, a cleaned one will stand out like a sore thumb.
Well I bought them based on their silver value, not their numismatic value, although that's just as important. And they were part of a much bigger lot.
Check the coins under a light at an angle. If they have been cleaned, lines will show up all over the coin, including over the devices of the coin. In this case, the liberty head, stars, lettering, eagle, wreath.
That is nowhere near always the case. Coins are cleaned in a number of different ways, and not all of them result in hairlines. Of the coins that were bought, the 1896 has obviously been cleaned or polished - see how its appearance differs from that of the others? If any of the othes have been cleaned, I can't tell for certain from the images provided.
I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean. But, generally speaking, once a coin has been cleaned, a knowledgeable person will be able to detect the cleaning, even if efforts are made to conceal it.
I don't know what you mean by "toning juice". But based on my experience and that of others with whom I have worked/graded, I will stand by my previous coment -"But, generally speaking, once a coin has been cleaned, a knowledgeable person will be able to detect the cleaning, even if efforts are made to conceal it". And if not, whatever is used to cover up the cleaning will be detected as doctoring.
Mark is 100% correct. However, I will also say that toning can and does cover up some things on a coin to the point where inexperienced eyes don't see the previous problems.
