Thumb cleaning

I was at work today sitting at my desk playing with a quarter in my hands. I started rubbing it with my fingertips for about a half hour. When I looked at the coin I was somewhat surprised that the coin had become much more bright and appealing to the eye.

Now my question is this : would a collector see this as a "cleaned" coin or a normaly worn down coin.

Stupid question but I must know!

 

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Still would be classified as cleaned.

 

Not sure I agree with that. A local dealer showed me this trick a long time ago. He used to have "bargain bins" common date Mercs, Walkers etc. Many would have a little extra dirt.

In many cases a few good rubs with your thumb would remove a lot of that dirt. Now, going for a half an hour or so is overkill. I'm talking just rubbing a bit of dirt off IF it comes off.

After all these were circulated commons - VG at best and would bet they would be slabbed by a reputable TPG. Of course, why would I slab a $1 coin? Point is that all that's really left is another thumbprint.

 

I was talking about 30 minutes of rubbing. If its for a short period, then it probibly wouldn't.

 

Then it looks like were on the same page here )

 

now this got me thinking, and im sorry to say that another wheat cent will be cleaned. I will post a pic tomorrow of the result of a 30 minute rubbing.

 

What Doug said. An expert or a skilled numismatist can detected a thumbed coin.

 

thumbing is also used to make au-58 coins look like ms-60 coins by transferring the shine of the oil on the hand to the wear spot on the coin.

 

how would you distinguish a coin that is handled normally from every day use to a coin thats been intentially rubbed?

 

A good way to find out is to take a coin and rub it for 30 minutes. Then compare it to another coin under magnification. If you can see a difference, so can an expert.

 

Rub direction is everything...

 

if you try to have it slabbed it would be bb'd 'cuase of thumb doctoring.

 

LOL, very good.

 

On many coins the high spots would be real shinning and the lower portions would be still filled with dirt. The high spots would have streaks from the rubbing noticable usually with the slightest magnifier. Naturally there is now a film of oils from the thumb alone with acids that would eventually leave the thumb print embedded.
Aside from all that I am interested in a job where someone could sit and rub coins for a half hour.

 

Your skin exudes acids that will temporarily clean a metal but after the acids set in they corrode. The reason that evolution has made acids on our skin is to make it, for the most part, uninhabital by micro-organisms.

 

Got a pic of that Cody?

 

Im, trying, my computer won't upload these off of my memory card for some reason. I should have this one up soon. I took and attempeted altered date wheatie i found in a roll. I looks like it was a 44-d trying to be made into a 14-d.

 

Ok, keep in mid that is this a really bad photo. Im in the process of setting up a new coin studio. This is with one lamp, and a tripod.

 

it looks wicked sexy , rub it some more