Cleaning Morgan dollar

[Electroscan-migration]

Hi I'm new to collecting and this site. I have an 1897 O Morgan dollar. I doesn't seem to be in bad shape but I don't know if I should clean it or leave it the way it is. Any help will be great.

 

Sorry I wasn't clear I guess, What I was thinking of doing is sending it to the NCS to have it cleaned and was wondering if it was a good thing to do. The coin was my parents, given to them when they got married over 50 years ago and sat in a dresser drawer fo most of that time. I would never clean it myself.

[DaveG]

Don't clean it - more than likely, you'll reduce or completely destroy any collector value the coin has if you do.

[Just Bob]

Welcome, Electroscan

And the answer is no! A lot of nice coins have been ruined (value-wise) by improper cleaning, so hold off on doing anything to it until you have a lot more knowledge and experience under your belt - and maybe not even then.

[RI AL]

Dave G is right on the mark! Cleaning is a NO NO..unless the coin is so hopelessly ugly. Cleaning in 99.9% of instances, reduces collectability and value.

 

RI AL

 

[Neko]

Hi Electroscan and welcome to the boards. What Dave and Bob said. Do not clean your coins.

[bsshog40]

Hi Electroscan and welcome to the boards. What Dave and Bob said. Do not clean your coins.

 

DITTO

[CHABSENTIA]

Don't clean it! Maybe it has already been cleaned. Who knows?If it hasn't and you clean it and then submit it to NGC etc then they will refuse to slab it etc.

 

You did not mention its condition but you can only make it worse by cleaning it as there will be marks left that you might not be able to see but the Graders will see it.

[firecat101-migration]

Hello, I'm a nebie to this site also. I have been selling gold coins for a while and I have heard that some have cleaned gold coins and submitted them for grading with a grading service (I don't know which one) not being able to tell the difference. The grading service may have been in too much of a hurry at the time or overloaded. I'm in agreement with the other guys here though, unless it's just trashed out, dirty and you want to clean it up (stated as such) for eBay, don't clean it. Any toning adds to it's value and eye appeal. Good luck with your coin.

[Just Bob]

Welcome, Firecat!

[rrantique]

Welcome to the forum Electroscan and Firecat.

[warriorbassman-migration]

Don't clean it! If you clean it and try to sell it you might ruin someone else's fun :-(

[Keigwin]

"doesn't seem to be in bad shape" is not a lot to go on.

 

If it grades AU50 (just a trace of wear on the hair above Liberty's ear and forehead and on Eagle's breast and head) then the coin is worth about $100. More wear than that and you a have a very sentimental Morgan worth about 30 bucks.

 

That said, there's not a lot of financial sense in having NCS clean it or even having it slabbed. You might consider building a special "shrine" for it and displaying it on a wall or mantle. But don't hurt it!

 

Some very informed folks believe that virtually all older coins have been cleaned at one time or another. Maybe not harshly but washed, dipped, etc. Mild cleaning is usually forgiven by graders, if detected at all. Aggressive cleaning can remove the original mint coat and that is when harm is done.

 

Why don't you leave it exactly as it is as a way to remember what your parents saw, each time that drawer was opened? The coin aged along with your folks and that makes its current look and condition sort of special, right?

 

Lance.