Can a Person "Unclean" a Coin?

jackson64 · August 5, 2008

I was reading another thread that originally seemed self evident but got me to thinking.

If you possessed a key-date coin or rarity that was body bagged or unslabbable for improper cleaning or lightly altered surfaces...would it be possible to "unclean" this coin by carrying it in a pocket for a month or so? Wouldn't smoothed out hairlines and brush marks be worth a coin dropping in details from say XF40 to a VF coin if it were now able to be certified?

Just curious--anyone tried this?..thoughts?

MunkyMan95 · August 5, 2008

Yes. But not in a month. It would take a loooooooooooooooong time to wear away the hairlines. It might be better after a month, but if it was harshly cleaned, you would probably have to carry it for near a year before it was "uncleaned"

MikeInFL · August 5, 2008

Yes. As you point out, one way would be to keep it in your pocket. However, the downside to that is that you'll lose some detail as a result.

123cents · August 5, 2008

I have heard of carrying around a coin in your pocket and wearing it in your shoe to wear down it where it is then slabbable. I'm sure it would take much longer than a month to achieve the wanted results.

Oldtrader3 · August 5, 2008

If I remember correctly, Mark Hooten had a couple of EAC coins that he carried as pocket change for many months until they wore away the hairlines and looked normally circulated. I have a 1857 flying eagle cent that I am considering doing the same with and maybe sometime it will be acceptable as "circulated". This cent has a smallish spot on it were something was cleaned off the coin surface. Eventually this spot should disappear. I have even considered putting it in my wife's rock polisher with some media for a couple hours but that might make it look even more "cleaned".

bsshog40 · August 5, 2008

Well I have had a harshly cleaned morgan in my pocket for approx. a year now and still has very noticiable hairlines. I think the pocket coin method would depend on the harshness of the cleaning. It does wear the coin considerably after time, but if there are deep hairlines, I think that you will always have a cleaned coin.

nwcs · August 6, 2008

Once metal is moved, it won't be coming back. However, it is possible to diminish the appearance of cleaning with wear.

physics-fan3.14 · August 6, 2008

I've got an ethiopian coin that I carry around in my pocket to reduce the appearance of cleaning. I picked it up when I was over in ethiopia, so it has a lot more sentimental value that numismatic, but it was harshly cleaned before I got it. Like people have been saying, it takes a lot longer than a month, but I have noticed progress.

Dcoin · August 6, 2008

I've always wanted to try a rock tumbler to unclean a coin.

nwcs · August 6, 2008

A tumbler is a good way to polish a coin...

WinstonWare · August 6, 2008

I've always wanted to try a rock tumbler to unclean a coin.

I like this idea. I think it has some real potential...

prudden · August 6, 2008

What about a coin that was deemed "improperly cleaned" by NGC but has no hairlines. No damage at all. In fact, if it had slabbed it would be MS 65 or better.

MikeInFL · August 6, 2008

Rock tumbling, in my experience, is discernable under magnification, and not a good method to "unclean" a coin, IMO...Mike

BankNote1 · August 6, 2008

What about a coin that was deemed "improperly cleaned" by NGC but has no hairlines. No damage at all. In fact, if it had slabbed it would be MS 65 or better.

Before I sent the piece in again for grading I would try to make sure that the coin wasn't damaged. I would get myself a "good" 6x or better loupe (not a loupe from China) and a strong light source like a 100 watt bulb. Then view the coin at different angles reverse and obverse turning the coin in your hands. If you have done all of that and you still don't see any problems I would send it in. I might send it to PCGS the next time because I have found that one service might body bag a coin while the other service might slab it!

Coin · August 6, 2008

........umm , you guys are kid'n 'bout tht tumbler , right ? :insane: I mean , have you seen what happens to the nickels after a few days of slot machine 'tumbling' ....and just the notion of , well , cleaning itself versus wear by golly !

physics-fan3.14 · August 6, 2008

Hey, happy birthday Coin!

BillJones · August 6, 2008

It all depends upon how deep the cleaning goes. Significant hairlines will require some pretty drastic circulation to wear them off. A coin that has been polished to bright finish might never come back unless you are going from an AU to a VG.

In the “old days” toning over (re-toning) might have been enough, but I think that CAC has prompted the services to get tougher. At any rate I have owned some early copper coins that had been lightly cleaned. After four or five years in an envelope made of ordinary paper (not sulfur free paper) the coins came out with a decent color to them that made them perfectly acceptable to EAC and other collectors. The key is the best methods take time, and dealers and sharpies are not willing to wait to sell something. They have to resort to doctoring.

As the others said, wearing a coin down takes years to do it naturally. And I’m afraid that the attempts to accelerate the process could be disastrous.