Coin Conservation Before and After

From time to time we at the shop run across coins that are really nice but because of improper storage have issues. I have to preface this post by saying that if you don't know what you are doing then you should NEVER EVER attempt to clean or conserve a coin. This is a nice frosty cameo 1956 half dollar. This coin sat until this afternoon in an OLD ANACS holder. It had developed haze and PVC contamination over the years. The PVC had also caused the coin to tone unattractively in the holder. The coin was first soaked in acetone to remove the PVC and haze and then dipped to remove dark toning left by the PVC exposure. These pictures were taken with the same lighting and settings on the camera. The blue look on the before picture is the haze.

Dipped?

Yes I have dipped this coin... There are VERY few circumstances where I dip coins... a coin has to be really nice with unattractive toning to even be considered for a dip... and then it is VERY fast and neutralized quickly.

I think this posting is going to spark some good discussion.

 

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nice job with that ... looks much better after

 

Agreed, looks much better.

 

How about the reverse?

 

Well, for all of the "don't clean your coins, ever" purists out there... the proof that cleaning (conserving), if done correctly, is in the photos.

 

I only have an after picture... the before pic was too fuzzy... I will post it tomorrow.

 

Wow, nicely done. TC

 

Very nice job! Well done! :thumb:

***CONSERVATION***

OK, here comes Doug and Mark to tell us how it was cleaned. LOL

Here's another one, cleaned or conserved? :devil:

 

Nice work.

Can I send some to you?
You gotta be cheaper then NCS

 

PVC damage in a slab? I've not heard of that before, but it doesn't surprise me.

Modern proof coins are some of the best candidates for quick dips and conservation -- they end up looking pretty good.

The real challenge is keeping them that way for an extended period of time, as they tend to haze back up if not properly cared for, and you can only dip them so many times before the cameo starts to look flat.

Thanks for sharing your experience...Mike

 

Sometimes there is PVC on a coin that has been cleaned but they did not get it all off so it comes back in the holder.

 

I disagree.
In my mind "clean" and "conserve" are NOT synonymous.

To me "conserve" means to remove material from a coin that has nothing to do with the coining metal.
This commonly includes such things as oil, dirt and adhesives.
When a coin is conserved it means to me that when a contaminant is removed the coin's surfaces are not altered by the process.


To me "clean" means to remove material from a coin that is a product of the environment and the coining metal.
This commonly includes such things as verdigris, PVC damage and fingerprints being removed.
When a coin is cleaned it means to me that when a contaminant is removed the coin's surfaces are altered by the process.

 

What do you use to "dip" it. I understand the acetone, but not sure what solution is used for dipping.

 

Understand where doug and others are coming from, but I agree with Kanga.

And now I see what Chris might be referring to. This post was so big I had to scroll around to read it
and some of what lostdutchman posted was covered by the right hand column containing new posts.

Glad this is the first time (and hope only) this happened to me.

 

That's a great job. I have a question: when this is done with proofs how does it effect, or does it effect the reflective quality of the fields?

 

Amen! The terminology of "cleaned" and "harshly cleaned" only serves to confuse collectors. I stand by my definition for the sake of all collectors:

cleaned - market unacceptable
conserved - market acceptable

 

If done properly there is no effect.

 

Mike,

I have never had a coin rehaze on me. I use an overnight acetone soak to make sure that I get everything on the coin.

The old ANA grading service (really early ANACS) holders are the one this coin came out of. Those holders tend to be some of the worst for hazing and toning over time. The haze when looked at at an extreme angle had a green tint to it.