Barber Quarter: Before and after dip (cleaning/conservation)

This one was a little risky, but the eye appeal (IMO) was severely affected by the black splotchy toning on the obverse. It will still straight grade. I'd say AU55 all day. Ok, maybe 53. Word of warning: This coin is not the rule. Attempts to dip circulated coins don't usually look this pleasant. I didn't want to make it blast white, so I didn't do a full-on dip. I just worked some dip gently over it with a soft Q-tip, then rinsed and acetoned.

 

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I like the overall look of the "after". Seems, though, that now there are some lines showing up on the obverse (running from lower left-to-upper right).

 

Just normal circulation areas combined with the lighting.

 

VERY nice result, well done

 

Not too shabby. I'd buy it

 

agreed, that is what I noticed first

edited to add:

It still looks a lot better.

 

Looks a lot better to me. Good job.

 

I like the way it looks now, and agree with the grade you put on it. I'd be scared to death to do that even though it's not a high dollar coin.

 

... so you q-tipped the reverse with dip solution too? Or are the improvements on the reverse simply due to the acetone...?

 

I like it.

 

This is a first class lesson in proper cleaning/conservation. Not to be taken lightly by the new collector.... Super nice result, @C-B-D ...

 

Same treatment as the obverse. Pretty common for there to be better luster on the reverse of these coins, since there is less open fields to pick up circulation marks.

 

Just keep in mind that dipping circulated coins is a no-no most of the time. Sometimes you can get good results with mid to high AU coins, however. But if you dip an XF or lower, it's going to be flat and ugly, and it'll often blow the little remaining luster right off the surfaces.

 

Came out good. I like the result

 

Good job (coin) Dr. C-B-D :-D

 

Fingers are an abrasive. When a coin circulates, it gets hairlines. These tend to tone over and disappear until the surfaces are dipped. Circulated gold always appears cleaned at first glance because the surfaces do not tone over.

The way to tell the difference is that circulation hairlines are short and randomly-oriented, whereas cleaning hairlines are typically long and have a deliberate pattern.

 

Very interesting! Definitely adding that trick to the arsenal. Well done!

I agree.

 

On a related note, i found a method to help me determine if a coin is a candidate for a dip. I drop it in a small bowl of acetone and shine a strong light on it. 9 times out of 10 this helps me better see the surface of the coin underneath the toning.

 

Lost a bit of the original patina, but got rid of those ugly spots.
Good job. Much better IMO.

 

Wow, that is actually a significant improvement. The spots on the obverse really hurt the eye appeal.

The coin has clearly been treated, but I like that you were measured in your application - you left some of the toning and didn't make it blast white. If it was blast white, it would have been ruined.

I think the best thing for this coin is to put it in a paper envelope for a while and let it regain some patina. I like the luster, but it needs a bit of skin.