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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Cherd, post: 1406344, member: 24754&quot;]Every coin collector has been bombarded with &quot;cleaning destroys value&quot; over and over again. An opinion with this prevalence becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when it comes to a subject such as coins, because the “value” of a coin is dependent upon what some person is willing to pay for it. With this in mind, serious collectors will tend to avoid cleaned coins like the plague. I feel that this avoidance has little to do with personal preference, but has more to do with the stigma that has been developed around cleaned coins. Cleaned coins as a whole are considered illegitimate, or as a stand-in for “real” coins that have not been cleaned.</p><p><br /></p><p>The argument that I hear most often towards the illegitimacy of cleaned coins is that the original surface has been removed or altered. Well, the truth of the matter is that the mint never issued tarnished coins. The surface of a tarnished coin has been chemically altered. The metal or oxide compound that constitutes the surface of a tarnished coin did not exist, or was not at the surface of the coin when it was minted. The surfaces are not original either way, and I personally find it hard to appreciate a tarnished coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>I’ve been building a US type collection for a while, which I display on the wall in my living room. I enjoy the type collection because my guests (who are typically not terribly familiar with coins) always find it very interesting. For this purpose, I like to obtain coins that best display all of the detail that each coin type had to offer, and that “appear” to be as mint state as possible. In most cases, especially for the older silver stuff, cleaned coins are the best options. I actually like to target Unc or AU detail “cleaned” coins for the older stuff, as I typically get them at a significant discount as compared to a comparable uncleaned coin that people would appreciate less.</p><p><br /></p><p>I’m glad that there are people out there that are willing to pay to have cleaned coins graded (don&#039;t know what they are thinking, but it feeds my collection <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie1" alt=":)" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />). However, with that being said, I do not advocate coin cleaning. I have never and will never clean a coin myself. I may not have an overwhelming appreciation for uncleaned coins, but once a coin is cleaned it can never be undone. I’m not willing to intentionally alter a piece of history, but I am willing to benefit from those that have..........When I say it like that, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie5" alt=":confused:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />&nbsp; Oh well.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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