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Message:: [QUOTE="AngelKitty, post: 1471169, member: 37889"]Let's say you have a classic car in mostly perfect condition - original paint, original seats, etc. It's a car that a classic car enthusiast would pay good money for. You have the car, but it's got some dirt and dust on it that needs to be removed. The dirt is stubborn, so you decide use steel wool and some acid to scrub it out. What would happen? Now there's damage to the original paint and probably the underlying metal that can't be undone and the interior is scratched up. You can repaint it and replace the interior, but then it's no longer original. That's the problem with cleaning coins, as many newcomers tend to do it - harshly, with toothbrushes or rough cloths or acid or jewelry polish. Cleaning a coin improperly will lower its value because it's no longer as it was originally. Those methods strip off the original metal and/or leave hairline scratches that ruin the surface. Cleaning it properly - that is, removing dirt or oil carefully without removing tarnish or damaging the metal of the coin - is a lot more work but if done properly will increase the coin's beauty and value. I think a big problem is that to a lot of people, tarnish = dirt. Tarnish isn't dirt. It's natural for the metal to react with the air and change colors over time, that doesn't mean its dirty and in need of cleaning.[/QUOTE]