Sorry about all the noob questions, but can anyone offer any advice on spotting a cleaned coin? I have a 1923 Peace dollar that has a really bright luster to it, and was just wondering how I can tell if this is the original, or a cleaned coin.
Hold the coin by the edge between your thumb and forefinger, and slowly tilt it top-to-bottom and right-to-left. The luster should radiate around the coin in a cartwheel effect. If it has been improperly cleaned or polished, you will not see this cartwheel effect. Chris
here is a thread another ct member wrote a not too long ago..great info, http://www.cointalk.com/t58435/
Oddly enough a really at times difficult situation. Many coins that have been cleaned recently are noticable due to thier age and no dirt of any kind anywhere on the coin. Coins cleaned in the past become more and more difficult to notice as cleaned pending on what happened to them since. With you 1923 coin note the wear if any. If there is appreciable wear and the coin appears new, something is obviously wrong meaning possible recent cleaning. If no wear, still proves little since many dealers dip Uncirculated coins to make them look even more Uncirculated. At coin shows I seen people acutually arguing about if a coin has been cleaned or not. And by dealers that pretend to know what is what.
