Proper way to dip a coin?

I know people are going to advise me against it, but I have a morgan with some of the ugliest toning you will ever see, but it has some great details, and I'd like to keep it, if I can get it brilliant looking. So if anyone here could detail the proper way to dip a coin, it would be greatly appreciated, especially if they can recommend a commercial dip that I don't have to drive to the nearest coin store to get.

 

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Maybe you can trade it for one with more acceptable tarnish.

Or, sell it and use the proceeds to buy antoher one that you can live with.

 

or, forget roy's advice.

Mine=
Dip the coin for 2 seconds and immediately put it under cold water for 10 seconds.
Dip the coin for 5 seconds if the first time did nothing. and run it under cold water for 15 seconds.
Wipe with a very soft plushie towel, go eat a few pretzels, and leave it in the towel while you watch your favorite movie, and then go back and you have a shiny coin.

 

Great details? Is it circulated? If so, don't dip it.

How dark is the toning?

 

With beautiful hairlines.

If you absolutely must reduce the value of your coin, at least limit the damage by NOT RUBBING IT with ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'd say it's an ms-62+, with a really sharp strike. The toning is nearly black.

 

i'd dip it. Btw, roy's hairlines don't exist.

 

Only if your being an idiot. Sometimes people are being just too polite. Dipping the coin ruins the value and strips a layer off the coin. It will leave hair lines, and it defrauds less experienced collectors. If you don't like the perfectly good coin, sell it and buy another one. There is no shortage of Morgans for every taste without resorting to chemically corroding it with acid.

Ruben

 

Dipping, in fact when done properly does not ruin the value of the coin at all. It will not leave hair lines either, unless your rub it. Some of the TPG's even dip coins like PCGS, from my understanding.

 

WOW....I bet you have a killer of a coin after that...with no value.

Speedy

 

Dipping, in fact, is never a proper thing to do unless the coin is corroding. That is as a fact. Now if we want to now discuss fantasy, we can talk about how to properly dip a coin (and always leave hairlines or worse)and scraping part of the coin from the surface.

Dipping is coin vandalism.

But for me, if your going to dip you might as well use 40 molar nitric acid solution for about 5 minutes. But wear goggles.

If you really love your coins, polish them every night before bedtime.

Ruben

 

sorry for being such a noobie, but what are you dipping them in????

 

You might dip them in acetone if they are corroding from PVC residue, but if you dip them in a dilute cleaning solution, it will not leave hairlines, unless you rub the coins. I think you are confused about what hairlines are. They are scratches from rubbing the surface of the coin. Every morgan you own or walker that is bright, has been dipped............

 

Also, I'm pretty sure a concentration of 40M nitric acid is impossible? If not, I would genuinely like to know.

 

I find it fascinating and rather hypocritical that one can find enthusiastic endorsement of NCS, a place where you send you coin and your money to have it dipped, in one thread here, while in another people are castigated for inquiring about dipping a coin.

Zaneman, I guess by now that you're aware that, under the current popularly prevailing attitude in the coin collecting community towards proper coin care, it is considered unacceptable to remove anything from the surface of a coin. Given that collectors determine pricing through their willingness to buy, or lack thereof, it may be concluded that dipping your coin lowers its' value.

Which matters how much for a coin you don't intend to sell?

I make no judgements here concerning the acceptability of the practice of dipping a coin. I do accept the reality that you wish to successfully attempt to remove the toning on your coin. Experience requires me to tell you that, depending on the degree of toning, you may trash the coin before successfully removing it. I honestly don't think you will achieve your goal by this process.

Having said that, I would modify julzboi661's instructions to the following extent:

Jeweluster is the best of the available cleaners. Acquire a set of rubber-coated tongs to hold the coin while dipping. Wear latex or nitrile gloves during the process. Dip the coin for 5 seconds and immediately move it under water which is already running - while under the water, release the coin into your gloved hand and rotate it a few times, so as to get water onto the parts which had been covered by the tongs. I allow no less than thirty seconds of rinsing.

After rinsing, place the coin onto a folded paper towel large enough to refold over the top of the coin. Fold it over the top of the coin once, to absorb the water on the top of the coin. Do not at any time allow either the coin or the towel to move horizontally - up and down motions always so nothing actually moves across the surface of the coin. After that, move the coin to a dry spot on the towel to finish drying in the air.

Repeat the process once if the toning is not completely removed. Warning: the second dipping may be enough to kill the appearance of the coin. A third dipping will definitely kill it.

This coin has been dipped twice, using the method I've described:



The flesh-colored reflection is my fingers, at a distance of 10 inches from the coin. Honesty requires me to tell you that the obverse is now useless, although that's because that side had already been overdipped when I acquired the coin. I was attempting to restore the obverse, and failed. My efforts didn't change it any - I only mention the fact so you'll understand that dipping could ruin one side while helping the other.

 

Thanks superdave, this is a coin for my collection, that I have no intent to sell. I also know that most coins have been dipped if they have cartwheel luster or any high degree of luster to this day. I should also mention (which I am sure you know) that PCGS, NGC etc. will slab a properly dipped coin.
BTW, that is a super nice reverse on that coin, I can see why you tried to restore the obverse!

 

The coin is a great frustration - the obverse is an easy MS66. It's beautiful, except for the bodybag part.

 

Zaneman, I'm certain your not correct about this. I have about a half dozen white GSA Carson City Morgans which are perly white and the likelihood that the Carter Administration had them dipped before selling this is highly unlikely.

Except in the case of corrosion, dipping a coin is ALWAYS considered a destructive act of vandalism. Why would you encorouge someone to do this to a coin in the course of practicing numismatics? I don't understand this? Would you tell someone where they can score some crack if they asked in a healthcare forum?

Ruben

 

I don't encourage dipping, but if a coin has ugly toning, I say go for it, and I know many people would do the same thing. I think you would be surprised at how many dipped coins you own, the thing is, when they are properly dipped, there is no way of telling they were dipped, except for the fact that they may be 100 years old, and have full cartwheel luster. You never want to dip a coin unless it is MS state btw.

 

That's a shame : (, what year is it if you don't mind me asking?