im reading a book right now.. and there talking about coins being dipped i heard this term a few other times on here but it just hit me.. i dont even know what that means so what is it is it another form of cleaning....i looked it up in the glossary but i dont understand the deffintion: dipped-A coin which has been cleaned in a soap solution, the most popular of which is called "Jewel Luster", is said to have been dipped. so can some one give me some help on this please EDIT: I see i need to take a spelling class too...lol
Huge and varied topic. Use Google to search using these two words, dipping and coins. In general: There's good dipping and bad dipping. Good dipping utilizes solvents that ONLY affect foreign matter on a coin's surface. On means dirt, oil, grease, etc. Something that has NOT become part of a coin's surface such as tarnish. The most frequently used good solvents are acetone and distilled water. There are others. Bad dipping utilizes chemicals that react with permanent surface changes such as tarnish. Or worse yet, react with the coin metal itself. The pros can tell badly dipped coins well above the 95% level. And they're almost as good with lightly dipped coins.
im gonna do a search.. thanks for the help kanga but i am still confussed so is it considered cleaning(which i thought was bad) if you are removing dirt, oil, etc.
It depends on what you dip into. If you dip coins into acetone, this removes organic materials which are stuck on the coin, such as PVC, oil etc that has not been reacted with the metals yet. The only issue is when you dip coins where it reacts with the metal of the coin that you are likely to get some kind of reaction, i.e. hydrochloric acid.
Cleaning is only bad when it alters the surfaces of a coin. Removing debris from a coin does not alter the surface (unless you do it wrong, like with lots of rubbing.)
While acetone will remove PVC, oils from your fingers if not on the on the coin for very long and sometimes ordinary dirt and grime - it will not remove toning or any metal from the coin. Distilled water will remove only some dirt and grime. Commercial coin dips on the other hand will remove all of the above and they will also remove toning and a very thin layer of metal from the coin. When somebody says they dipped a coin - it is a commercial coin dip they are talking about. All commercial coin dips contain an acid - thiourea. All commercial coin dips, if used improperly, can be harmful to coins. But, if they are used properly, not even the best expert can say with certainty that the coin was dipped. However, because we have the ability to reason, when an old coin appears to be mint fresh and has no trace of toning whatsoever, it is reasonable to assume that this coin has been dipped. That is because all coins begin to tone the instant they are made.
you are making a value judgement that not everyone agrees with. to answer the OP: In general "dipping" refers to the momentary immersion of a coin into a mildly acidic solution. If done properly a dipped coin will have the tarnish removed from it without damaging the luster of the coin. This process works by removing the outermost layer of metal which means that a coin that is dipped too long or too many times will have an obviously lackluster look. Once a coin reaches this stage it is called "burned" and it will no longer qualify for a grade at any legitimate grading service (it would body bag for altered surfaces). Dipping is an accepted industry practice and any white seated/bust coin (as well as most Morgans, Barbers, and many newer coins) that is white has been dipped, some more expertly than others. Dipping can salvage a coin that has toned in an ugly way and make it desirable when it wasn't before being dipped.
On another thread, a 67 SMS Kennedy was dipped, in my opinion, it improved the coins eye appeal. On yet another thread, a bust half was shown for grade opinions, that I feel was dipped, and made the coin have less eye appeal I deal 90% of the time in copper and would NEVER for any reason at all, dip a Lincoln. I have used acetone to remove pvc, gunk etc at no harm to the coin.
There was no harm to the coin for how long ? It is well known that acetone will often turn copper a pinkish or orange color.
good question...I have many that are 10-12 years ago with no such effects, I always rinse with distilled water of course and pat dry. I thought acetone was ok, like koinsolve ( i never have tried it ), an inert solvent that drys leaving no residue?
