If you use Sulfuric Acid that washes off the paint and a few mm of the underlying metal, I imagine that might do something to the resale value.
There isn't any set rule !! I got a friend who has discovered more varieties of Lincolns than most people even own. He has a set of (not all discovered by him of course) of over 1400 varieties and he cleans EVERY batch of cents before searching through them. I routinely clean junk silver. But the reason is as important as the method. First some coins should not be cleaned !!! Never ! No restoration ! Others sure can't be devalued much if any by doing a proper job. Most older circulated coins have had some type of cleaning if just run through a washing machine in the pocket of a pair of jeans. It's a judgement call that you guess at. IMHO
i think i have finally figured out this whole cleaned/harshly cleaned thing... cleaning a coin is like wiping dust off of an antique table... as long as it doesn't alter the original finish of the table (which is the luster and/or patina on a coin), it is ok.
The unfortunate reality of most people's language use is that words like "cleaning" are used without getting out a thesaurus and looking around at all the variations on the word and alternatives. I had an english teacher once who was quite adamant on the point that we should not use the word "smell" when more accurate words are readily available. The point is that you do not clean coins as my sister was cleaning her silverware last night. Coins are dipped and only by experts. My first dipping experience was a 1932 quarter that I bought for $30 dipped out as an MS65 at PCGS. NGC even brags about having the 1804 dollar, that Breen considered an AU, upgrade to MS62 when they had removed the PVC. Jim Halperin wondered why they didn't 63 it! But just when you think you are good at it you make mistakes and they can be irreversible. That's why I let NCS do the job. I had a 1917 Standing Liberty quarter that PCGS called "questionable toning". NCS removed the questionable toning and called it MS64+ FH!
Washing a car with detergent and water doesn't damage it. So, if that implies that washing a coin with detergent and water shouldn't damage it... Washing a silk suit jacket with detergent and water shouldn't damage it. Washing a DVD player with detergent and water shouldn't damage it. Washing your eye with detergent and water shouldn't damage it. But please don't try any of these activities at home, either.
adric - You must not have looked very hard. Here is a thread that has ongoing, daily, since around the time you joined the forum. And oddly enough the specific method you mention is discussed in that thread. http://www.cointalk.com/t205352-31/ And there are literally hundreds and hundreds of other threads discussing the various aspects of cleaning coins. Do this, go to the Coin Chat page - http://www.cointalk.com/f30/ - click on Search Forum button in the upper right hand corner. That will open a small box, then click on Advanced Search. When that page opens, where it says Keywords, type in - cleaned. Where it says User Name, type in GDJMSP. Then click on the Search Now button. Don't do anything else, don't put check marks in any boxes, don't change any of the drop down boxes, just do exactly what I asked you to do. That will open 9 pages of threads that discuss cleaning coins. And that is just those found in Coin Chat. There are many, many more in other sections of the forum. Cleaning coin is probably one of the most discussed topics there is in the entire forum.
I just thought I'd follow up on this. I have found the search function on this website to be pretty bad. First of all, if you aren't logged in, it appears to do a search but doesn't find anything. Most likely this is what I was encountering as to why the search wouldn't work. The second thing is if you try to do multiple searches in a row, it will also appear to not find anything, but if you read the fine-text really close you'll notice it says you can only perform a search every 30 seconds. So I'd just like to set the record straight that I did attempt to search for a thread on cleaning before posting, but I was unfamiliar with the strange behavior of the search function on this forum.
Kind of a late response, but I agree that the search function is lacking. My biggest complaint is that it should show where in the thread that the given words are. If I search for something, and a long thread comes up, I'd like to see which page that is actually mentioned on with a little excerpt.
I think the key here for the OP is what his personal style is - and for him that's collecting bullion, he doesn't care for the premiums attached to the coins, and is not a collector. He likes shiny coins/bullion, and isn't interested in the history, story, or anything behind it. That's his opinion, and how he wants to collect his metals. However, I would suggest that if the OP is intent on cleaning whatever coins he has, he do a little research on which ones may be valuable, get more familiar with what could have value, and leave those ones alone for the rest of the collectors out there, so that they're not ruined for them. Toss the good fish back in the sea, so to speak. I like my junk silver and bullion, and I like it shiny. But, I also like seeing and owning older coins with "character" that may hold a premium, and am willing to pay for it. OP, I just went through this with a Peace dollar I found, which everyone here was very helpful in identifying it was cleaned, and probably pretty harshly. Do I still like the coin? Yep, it's got decent detail to the normal eye, and it's pretty shiny. But, it's not worth anything above melt value, and it'll go into that pile. And, everyone here will be more than willing to help you determine it if you ask.
