No, they're not - they are exactly the same thing. Conserving is nothing more than a euphemism for cleaning. But the two words mean exactly the same thing. Now if you had said harsh cleaning (which is what you described in your comparisons) and conserving are two different things - I would agree with you 100%.
The assumption seems to be that if the sniffer was detecting the VC, it would result in details for the coin. Why? What if they can detect it and simply don't care that it is on the coin?
You are correct. Implied in my comments is my inherent assumption that "cleaning" results in market-unacceptable appearances; conservation is considered market acceptable. The argumentalist in you will bring up dipping - which can sometimes be considered cleaning, and sometimes considered conservation.
I often come across as a "donkey" online, but I try not to be a "donkey" in real life. The amount of "donkey" I let show may vary based on bourbon content.
I realize the point you are making, but the example is bad. If the paint on a Renoir painting were chipped, a professional art conservator absolutely would “touch up the paint.”
Ok, I'll admit the analogy isn't perfect. However, the restorer would (should) try their absolute best to use period-correct paints, in very deliberated and measured strokes which match the original. Art conservation is a significantly more developed science, with widely accepted rules and conventions compared to coin conservation. We're sorta the Wild West comparatively. Perhaps that's because of the significantly higher dollar values? Or the more widespread understanding of the art medium? I'm not sure. That's probably a different topic for a different thread. But imagine someone removing grime from a Walking Liberty half dollar. I think we'd all agree that's okay. Now, if they start to gas it with a bit of H2S, I think we'd all agree that's not cool.
Right, of course. The point is there are right ways and wrong ways to “work on” a coin or a painting. Modern coin collectors have one set of standards, ancient coin collectors another, and what would be fully acceptable for one might be totally unacceptable for the other. Ancient coin collectors rarely bother with acetone, for instance, but would think nothing of brushing a coin with a stiff brush to remove grime and deposits. Modern coin collectors would bring out the pitchforks if they found out you brushed a coin that wasn’t already a problem coin.
that’s what I do. Not with paintings but 18th c furniture. And yes I mix my own paints. Use 200 year old tools and use salvaged 200 year old lumber and believe me my customers don’t always call the work I do
I knew what you meant Jason, and my point was not to argue at all, but merely to present accurate information for others who are not aware - and who are going to read what we both said. For a great many years I have posted that I wish for one thing, that people would use correct terminology when discussing this subject - namely cleaning and harsh cleaning. If people would only do that, this discussion would never even come up. And I also wish that people would stick to using plain English when discussing coins instead of using euphemisms and grandiose terminology just to make something "sound better" to the ears of collectors. And quite frankly, that's all the term conservation is. And no, I'm not accusing you personally of doing that. You're merely repeating what so many others do.