What is this stuff?

No i still don't know who Clark Smith is.

I can tell you for a fact though that any coin dealer that tells you to use nail polish remover on a coin is as reputable as an antique dealer who advises you to use sandpaper to remove a speck of grease from a piece of Claris Cliffe.


Just don't do it.

 

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GoldCoinLover,

From your latest picture of the coin, the mark that you refer to, appears to be a gouge! If so, then no amount of rubbing or cleaning will remove it from the coin.

I would suggest that you invest in a quality Gem Loupe or several Gem Loupes of varying powers of magnification. With these, you will be able to identify any damage, corrosion, doubling and any other odd looking items on coins.


Good luck...Frank

 

Better still don't buy coins that you're not happy with. If it's got a scratch and it bothers you then let it pass by, other coins will come along. Obviously i understand this is not practisable with coins bought sight unseen.

If you get something sight unseen though you should check that the dealer has return policy (before you buy the coin) and secondly if you don't like it don't try improving it in any way, send it back and get a refund.

 

I agree, it is weird. Mixed messages on coin cleaning are abundant, in my opinion. Cleaning a coin is clearly a bad idea, but cleaning solutions and methods are everywhere.


FB

 

Thats the thing! I didn't buy it sight unseen! He showed me a picture of it, and the coin in the photo didnt have the mark!

 

Here's the picture of the coin he SAID I WAS GETTING.

 

And his latest response..

Hello Kevin,

Now I remember. I think that was from when the coin
was made and wont come off.

Best Regards,
Clark

 

If you don't like the coin, just return it and get over it.

 

Let me also add something here...I never have tried an utrasonic cleaning but from what I have read about it and people that have used it...its not good...I think there was something about it in CoinWorld this year...

Speedy

 

There may be some benefit to experimenting with ultrasonic cleaning, starting with some inexpensive coins to examine the results. I can't offhand think of how this might damage the coin in any way that could be detected even under magnification except through water spots, which may be avoidable depending on the solution. On the other hand, I also don't think it would remove toning [a chemical reaction], but might be good for a substance on the surface of the coin.

I'm not convinced that there isn't a way to safely clean a coin. We all know what doesn't work, but that doesn't mean nothing works. Edison experimented with thousands of substances before he found a suitable filament for the light bulb.

 

James Taylor said it the best...any coin that has had anything (talking about cleaning) that happened outside the mint is not meant for the coin and is therefor not good...and lowers the value.

Speedy

 

No reason to ask a question if you don't pay attention to the advice.

There are people with 20 years of experience and people with 1 year of experience 20 times. I have known both and the first is better

 

Thanks. I agree I fingerprints can ruin the coin. And I agree to hold it by the edges.
However it doesnt look like toning to me. I've had copper spots before, and this looks totally different. It almost looks like a gouge, like someone mentioned, that was filled

And you can't scratch gold with your fingernail. There are only certain elements you can scratch with your fingernail, you can only scratch gold with a knife.

 

And I have 11 years of experience. Thank you.

 

Gold is soft, but gold alloyed with other metals cannot be scratched with a fingernail. Pure gold, maybe. The other alloys in the metal strengthen the gold and make it more durable. Gold is scratched easily, but it cannot be scratched by a fingernail. If you don't believe me, I will get out my book of elements and look it up for you.

 

Thanks for the ....... whatever this was?

Have a nice evening.

P.S. Try using some of your gold coins as emery boards. I am sure they will look great when you are done.

 

If you have 11 years experience then you should already know that nail polish remover is bad and that coins should not be scratched by finger nail or by knife. There are more germs up fingernails than anywhere.

If you were not aware of this then i don't know how you missed it. I've been collecting 15 years and i learned most of those basic points in my first year.