To Dip Or Not to Dip?

I'd leave them alone. If it bothers you to much then I suggest looking for a better example and then sell the coins you have. Let someone else take a chance on dipping them. The problem with dipping is there is no going back once it's been done. If you never dipped a coin before it doesn't take much to wreck a silver coin. A few seconds to long and you'll wreck the coin. Based on the spot on the obverse you need to know what your doing. By the time you get rid of the spot it could be to late for the coin.

 

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NO! Don't dip it.

You silly person

 

Thanks for the comments and advice fellows......I truely value them. The coins stay as is.

As an aside, I asked my wife what she thought. She was with the general consensus here, but who listens to their wife?

 

I would, but that's just me. When I dipped coins many years ago, I would take care to plop them into a basic solution to stop the acid action of the dip. Then I would rinse them thoroughly and pat dry with a soft towel. I'm not saying that's what you should do, however. I think you've gotten a lot of good advice here.

 

I listen, but rarely do I hear.

 

I wear hearing aids and asked the audiologist to tune them so they filter out the frequencies of my wife’s voice. My world is much quieter now.

 

My hearing, without hearing aids, is doing the filtering for me!

 

I had intended to offer my opinion on the day that you originally posted, however, I got sidetracked starting my own alternate approach to conventional “dipping” (to be posted soon), so I decided to reply before too much more time passes:

“Dipping” is actually a form of cleaning, as you are removing a chemically bonded sulfurous film from the silver alloy.

Both of your coins are naturally toned and I would not try to dip them, if I were the owner. From my own prior experience with “cleaning” and “dipping” coins—some of which were subsequently sent to a TPG for grading—the 1936-S that has the anomaly (Carbon Spot, as it has been referred to by forum members) in the Left Field is quite prominent, and shows a crater-like depression, which if you submitted that coin for grading may cause it to be downgraded or to receive a No Grade designation of “Damaged”. As an example, In 2014 I had sent a gem uncirculated with proof-like finish 1904 Liberty Head Gold Quarter Eagle to NGC for grading. When I had purchased the coin it had a small carbon spot on Liberty’s Nose ( see this Link: https://img.gg/kq5aL9W click on the image to enlarge it) that I tried using Tarn-X on to remove the spot; it did remove the spot but left a small hole where the spot had been. My lack of experience with Tarn-X on coins hadn’t prepared me for the result—a coin graded “UNC Details OBV Spot Removed” ( see this Link: https://www.greatcollections.com/Co...r-Eagle-NGC-Unc-Details-Tamaracian-Collection )--which ultimately yielded a net return from the Great Collections (GC) Auction of $225, whereas if it had graded a straight minimum of MS65 I would have received $900 plus (based on previous GC auctions)!

If you attempt to “dip” the coins’ surface locally using a Q-tip you would “bleach” that area and it would stand out like a sore thumb; if you submitted that coin for grading it would get a details grade for “Improper Cleaning”. For any coin that has a significant patina or “ugly” toning, dipping the entire coin may in fact yield a bright coin (for coins without wear) with mint luster that will look great and grade accordingly, OR, you could wind up disclosing scratches, abrasions, or other surface anomalies that were not readily apparent beforehand.

 

Has your wife recommended a hearing test yet? Mine has…

 

she has, I couldn't hear her tho.

 

I would dip them lightly — in a diluted solution — just long enough to correct the problem areas, but not long enough for anyone to notice they've been dipped.

Obviously these things bother you, or else you wouldn't have asked. Why not fix them?