Some collectors avoid cleaned coins, but I don't, as long as they are au-unc details. Think about it..it's still a coin, and it's still OLD, it would be different if it was a cleaned ASE or something. I picked up this 1887 Shilling for less than 20 about 4 days ago, uncleaned, it's worth about $60-$75. The reeding is still sharp. There is still cartwheel lustre around the edges, and even nice toning, so it appears just the centre of the coin was cleaned. Anyone else have any high grade "problem coins" they want to show off?
You are not doing good on "one" coin till next year! I avoid coins that are cleaned...learned my lesson. Tokens...
"You are not doing good on "one" coin till next year!" I bought this before that..and the small amount of coins preceding that were purchased with my eBay bucks.
I have no issues with a decent looking cleaned coin, as long as I am paying cleaned money for it, so has to be a decent discount
Unimpressed. The reverse looks way better than the obverse. Your coin could have been cleaned and dipped more than once for all you know, I mean it is a very old coin. So said, if you're happy with your purchase than that's all that matters. Personally, I hope I never buy a cleaned coin ever again. ~Cheers!
Just so I understand you correctly, it is okay to buy cleaned "old" coins of collectible interest, but not okay to buy cleaned ASEs that, generally speaking, hold a value based primarily on their metal content?
I get that, which was also the whole point. Perhaps an ASE was not the best choice for the comparison as a coin of otherwise significant numismatic value will certainly take more of a value hit than one that is essentially bullion.
But at the same time, I would not pay the same for a cleaned bullion coin as I would for a "perfect" one, as there are so many perfect ones out there. Old coins are rarer, which means I would be more willing to have a cleaned one, as long as the price is right.
I'm not saying anything against buying cleaned as long as one understands what it is they're buying, but only pointing out the poor comparison given in the OP. As for paying less for "cleaned" vs. "perfect", fair enough, but if the "perfect" example is actually being sold as bullion, it is still, generally speaking, a poor comparison.
For me, I just soap and water on coins. I don't try to make them look freshly minted. Antique furniture appraisers will put a noose around your neck for doing the same kind of thing on antique tables!
