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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;kaparthy, post: 17876, member: 57463&quot;]The technical term for &quot;dirty&quot; is &quot;patinated.&quot;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Coins look shiny when they are new, so some people try to make coins look &quot;new&quot; again by polishing them.&nbsp; The problem is that you cannot put detail back on a coin, once it is worn off.&nbsp; So, as a result, cleaning a worn coin just leaves you with a worn coin that has been cleaned.&nbsp; Whatever natural character it had is gone.</p><p><br /></p><p>I once saw a coin that had been graded Poor-0 by PCGS, but it was in a PCGS holder.&nbsp; In other words, this early Federal Large Cent had been worn flat, but it still had original surfaces.&nbsp; Apparently, no one had cleaned it in a 100 years or more.&nbsp; It looked natural.&nbsp; If the coin had been cleaned -- especially if it had been wiped with a silver cleaning cloth yesterday -- PCGS would have refused to grade the coin at all.</p><p><br /></p><p>Most collectors find a lot of charm in a 19th century coin with honest wear and original surfaces.&nbsp; I know I do.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you like &quot;shiny&quot; coins, you should buy them that way.&nbsp; Mint State coins cost more, but they look nice.</p><p><br /></p><p>Michael</p><p>&quot;showing honest wear of my own&quot;[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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