I take it that coin conservation services provided by NCS and other reputable numismatic conservation service providers are not considered cleaning in the numismatic sense, as that would defeat the purpose of sending it off to NCS, as many of these valuable coins would probably be sent off to get graded... And, I'd think that they'd turn away some coins that would require "cleaning" and others such as coins with milk spots after they do their analysis of the coin in-hand. I know that they're experts in their fields, and further, are experts with numismatic items. But sometimes, the results are so good that it's incredible, such as how they're able to remove carbon spots, haze, and return original luster or cartwheel luster. Needless to say, by their results, it goes well beyond the scope of DIY undiluted-acetone bathing... is there any amount of "cleaning", say, even a few percent or 1% loss of a coin's "original attributes", which they allow because the benefits of a more attractive looking coin would outweigh the cost? Here are some examples that NCS posts on their website. It would be a service to consider, I think, at least for the more valuable coins. Before ....................... After http://www.ncscoin.com/gallery/conserved/index.asp
Depends on who's doing it........conservation if you're TPG'er. Cleaning if you're a private citizen. However, if you do it correctly, most folks won't know and you'll make a 'clean' gettaway.......
Since NCS goes hand-in-hand with NGC I would expect any NCS conserved coin to be fully graded by NGC.
I had PCGS conserve my 8-X since it was wildly double stuck. They got all the goo off and the color is much more consistent now. Still came back details - scratch. I figured it would but I wanted to stop the green monster from eating the coin.
The difference between conservation and cleaning is a philosophical one, and has been debated ad nauseum here and elsewhere. NCS has a team of experts, trained in the field of conservation. They have methods that the average hobbyist does not have access to (either because of knowledge, experience, or equipment). They do excellent work. I've sent a couple of coins to NCS, and have been pleased with the results. Any technology, sufficiently advanced, will seem like magic to the uneducated.
"Cleaned" is a relative term which is deeply rooted into today's generation of collectors as "a bad thing" based upon the fact that reputable TPG's will NOT grade a coin which they deem as having been cleaned. However, "cleaned" is nothing more than an opinion based upon perhaps a 10 second viewing. I expect that the original intention behind the term revolved around harsh abrasives such as simple rubbing with soap and water (with gritty fingers) under the tap up to scrubbings with SOS or Brillo pads. In other words, a bright, lusterlous coin with obvious scratching which the average person would deem "Looks like New!" As for the "cleaning" opinion, I have had coins labeled as cleaned which upon resubmission received a grade. Are cleaning and conservation the same thing? Not really since conservation is intended to stabilize the coin without imparting harsh or damaging evidence of the conservation. Done by a professional who, BTW, believes that a proper conservation is possible, one might never know that the coin has been conserved. What this means is that not every coin is a good candidate for conserving and it's up to the professional to make that determination as not every coin submitted for conservation actually gets conserved. Additionally, not every conservation attempt guarantee's a good outcome as shown by the first coin presented by the OP. While the dark spots are indeed gone, the color of the coin appears to have been affected. But then, it is dependent upon the coin and the relative value of the coin.
So, how does one "conserve" a coin with carbon spots? I'm of course assuming that those are carbon spots on the Walking Liberty coin in the original post, or that NCS is capable of removing carbon spots. Will it require expensive tech? Or, is there a less expensive, non-"cleaning" medium similar to acetone?
No matter how accustomed I am to or guru'd up on sufficiently advanced tech, it will always be magical to me.
Much of what appears on a coin is the result of simple chemistry, and in many cases chemistry can be reversed. That's what electrolysis does. I suspect they just reduced the reaction with activated carbon or some similar method. Carbon spots are not always the death sentence some think.
