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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;GDJMSP, post: 833720, member: 112&quot;]Yes it is, but typically only in specific cases and only for specific reasons. And you should know by now that I personally have always, <u>always</u>, differentiated between proper cleaning and harsh cleaning. And never once have I ever said that proper cleaning is wrong and should not be done.</p><p><br /></p><p>But while you&#039;re working your memory there, try to remember another acceptable practice from 30 years ago - one that the top people in the numismatic field highly recommended and most of them practiced - that being the harsh cleaning of coins. They would recommend using everything from toothpaste to baking soda, to steel wool and jeweler&#039;s cloths.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now go find me one of them that will do it today.</p><p><br /></p><p>The practice of putting oil on coins is well over 100 years old. And almost inevitably there are only 2 reasons ever given for doing so - to clean and to preserve. I don&#039;t think you&#039;re ever going to find anybody, let alone a coin dealer, who will admit that they put oil on coins in order to deceive potential buyers by making the coin look better than it really is. None that want to stay in business anyway.</p><p><br /></p><p>It&#039;s just like trying to find a dealer who will admit to whizzing a coin in order to make them look better. You&#039;re not gonna find a single one who will admit doing that. But we sure got a lot of whizzed coins around now don&#039;t we.</p><p><br /></p><p>Now in the last 20-25 years or so a large portion of the numismatic community has shied away from doing this. And more and more join their ranks every day. Soon, putting oils on coins will be treated just like harsh cleaning by the numismatic community. </p><p><br /></p><p>Why ? Because they are finding out what it does to the coins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Do you think it is an accident that 80% of all older coins are problem coins ? Do you think they just happened to get that way ? </p><p><br /></p><p>No, they didn&#039;t. They got that way because of people, collectors &amp; dealers, doing things like harshly cleaning them and putting oil on them.</p><p><br /></p><p>So for the next few years, maybe even 10, some people will continue to put oil on their coins. And probably without exception they will point to this person or that person from the past, somebody with a well recognized name, and say - they do it - so I will too.</p><p><br /></p><p>But their numbers will dwindle over time, just like the numbers of people who harshly cleaned their coins on a regular basis gradually dwindled away to nothing. </p><p><br /></p><p>But the number of problem coins will increase, until that happens. And future generations will be stuck with the few problem free coins that remain.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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