A visitor from across the street...

[DoubleCovaBrotha]

Hello, I'm normally at the CGC side of these boards, but I am curious about some coins that I found. I am fortunate enough to work in a bank that has a coin counting machine for anyone who might have a change dish or a jar of coins sitting somewhere. Sometimes this machine jams up because of all the gunk that some of the customers throw in there (car keys, subway tokens, screws, paper clips, safety pins, etc). During a routine maintenance of the machine, I came across some interesting coins.

 

Can anyone please tell me if these are of any significance?

 

Thank you in advance.

[DoubleCovaBrotha]

[Weidel Legacy Collection]

Both are silver so they're worth more than face value. The date and mintmark of the coin and its condition are what determine the overall value for it. Its difficult to grade a coin from an image, and these are more than likely circulated coins - but together they're definitely worth more than $1.50!

[DoubleCovaBrotha]

Both are silver so they're worth more than face value. The date and mintmark of the coin and its condition are what determine the overall value for it. Its difficult to grade a coin from an image, and these are more than likely circulated coins - but together they're definitely worth more than $1.50!

 

Hah, so it's just like comic books then! Okay, I don't suppose they are worth too much since they are probably pretty abundant. Both of them are pretty scratched up, so that probably doesn't help at all. Thanks for the info!

[gmarguli]

The coins look like they were polished (especially the half dollar). They have a value of about $5.50 for the Morgan dollar and about $1.50 for the Walking Liberty half. Both are extremely common and do not command significant amounts of money until you get into really high grades.

[DoubleCovaBrotha]

The coins look like they were polished (especially the half dollar). They have a value of about $5.50 for the Morgan dollar and about $1.50 for the Walking Liberty half. Both are extremely common and do not command significant amounts of money until you get into really high grades.

 

Yeah, they were both cleaned with jewelery cleaner. I assumed that they were fairly common, especially the walking Liberty. I found 10 of them while checking the bags. I could only replace four of them though because we only had 4 regular half dollars to replace them in the bags. Thanks for being so helpful guys. Now at least I know the names for these coins! If you find any old comics lying around, feel free to ask.

[DoubleCovaBrotha]

By the way...I am not certain how cleaning affects the value of coins (or if it actually makes the coins worse.) In comic books, restoration significantly decreases the value of the book. I know that this is somewhat peculiar when it comes to collectibles or works of art. How does it work in coins? Does restoration or polishing reduce the overall value of a coin?

[gmarguli]

By the way...I am not certain how cleaning affects the value of coins (or if it actually makes the coins worse.) In comic books, restoration significantly decreases the value of the book. I know that this is somewhat peculiar when it comes to collectibles or works of art. How does it work in coins? Does restoration or polishing reduce the overall value of a coin?

 

There are several degrees of what is commonly referred to as cleaning.

 

Dipping (immersion in an acidic solution) will not generally hurt the value of the coins if it is done right. Copper coins are the main exception to this.

 

Cleaning usually refers to a method which creates hairline scratches on the coin. This will usually reduce the value from maybe 25% to 60% depending on the severity of the cleaning.

 

Polishing will usually reduce the value from 50% to 90%. Polishing is really the worst method of cleaning.

[RobertB]

CLEANING = BAD IDEA

[DoubleCovaBrotha]

There are several degrees of what is commonly referred to as cleaning.

 

Dipping (immersion in an acidic solution) will not generally hurt the value of the coins if it is done right. Copper coins are the main exception to this.

 

Cleaning usually refers to a method which creates hairline scratches on the coin. This will usually reduce the value from maybe 25% to 60% depending on the severity of the cleaning.

 

Polishing will usually reduce the value from 50% to 90%. Polishing is really the worst method of cleaning.

 

 

So if I wanted to improve the appearance of a coin, what is the best way to do it?

[gmarguli]

So if I wanted to improve the appearance of a coin, what is the best way to do it?

 

If you don't know what you are doing, then I would suggest doing nothing. You are more likely to harm the coin than help it. The coin might look better to you when it is white and shiny, but it is not a natural look and collectors will not appreciate it.

 

Circulated coins do not clean up well. Dark looking coins do not clean up well.

 

Before cleaning up a coin you need to look at the luster under the toning. If the coin appears dead then it will not clean well.

 

If you must clean the coin, I would suggest getting a product called MS70. It removes dirt. You put some on the coin and let it sit for a minute or two and then rinse it off. This will loosen the dirt.

 

There is also E-Z-Est AKA Jeweluster which works for silver and clad coins. Diluting this by maybe 75% at first try and see what happens. It is a "dip" and it is intended for a QUICK dip. A couple of seconds is all that is necessary. If you leave the coin in too long it will hurt the luster and give the coin a dead look. This will greatly harm the value.

[DoubleCovaBrotha]

If you don't know what you are doing, then I would suggest doing nothing.

 

Thanks for the advice. "Nothing" it is.

 

Circulated coins do not clean up well.

 

This is good to know as most, if not all, of the coins I come in contact with (at the bank) are circulated. Thanks again!

[braddick]

If you don't know what you are doing, then I would suggest doing nothing.

 

Thanks for the advice. "Nothing" it is.

 

Circulated coins do not clean up well.

 

This is good to know as most, if not all, of the coins I come in contact with (at the bank) are circulated. Thanks again!

Whizzing is worse than polishing. Polishing can be corrected, whizzing really can't.

[spy88]

There is one product that I have used with excellent results for cleaning coins of dirt and oil still leaving the luster alone. But you might want to try it only on a coin from spare change. Find one that is pretty scummy or oily or dirty, and hand wash with Softsoap antibacterial handsoap. If you cannot get it clean with just your fingers, you can try a SOFT toothbrush with the soap.

 

As stated above from some very knowledgeable people, you would NOT want to try this on a coin that you KNOW (by looking up its date and mint mark first) might be worth something, that it should be left alone.

 

You might want to pick up a Red Book for just the off chance you find a rare and/or vauable coin!

 

David

[EZ_E]

Whizzing is worse than polishing. Polishing can be corrected, whizzing really can't.

 

 

How is polishing corrected? By retoning?

[EZ_E]

By the way...I am not certain how cleaning affects the value of coins (or if it actually makes the coins worse.) In comic books, restoration significantly decreases the value of the book. I know that this is somewhat peculiar when it comes to collectibles or works of art. How does it work in coins? Does restoration or polishing reduce the overall value of a coin?

 

Hey, Joisey

 

Pardon my ignorance, but how does one go about restoring a comic book? Add a false cover, tape, staples... Would you briefly explain the process, please. Thanks.

[Architecht]

Here's a related

thread.

[gmarguli]

Whizzing is worse than polishing. Polishing can be corrected, whizzing really can't.

 

True, but whizzing is not really a form of cleaning, but rather an alteration to remove surface marks.

 

Polishing can be "corrected" by wearing the coin down. It takes more wear than to wear away a cleaning, but it can be done.

[DoubleCovaBrotha]

That is a very excellent thread on comic book restoration. It is extremely difficult for an amateur to detect restoration on a comic book, which is why the CGC restoration check is so invaluable to collectors. There is a very wide range of restoration which can be done by professionals (for a very high fee) or by yourself. Something as simple as application of tape, trimming chipped edges on the cover, or color touches can be considered restoration. Professional restoration can even include replacing huge chunks missing from the cover and sealing spine splits with archival glue. The list of what can be done to comic books to improve the overall appearance is numerous indeed.

 

Restoration remains a frequent topic of debate and discussion in comic books for many reasons. Not all sellers disclose restoration (or even try to hide the fact) which causes a general mistrust of raw books, especially the older and rarer ones. Overall, cleaning and restoring comic books has had a negative impact on the market because of the non-disclosure aspect. Coupled with the fact that restoration is so difficult to detect, collectors are willing to pay far less for a restored book.

 

I am not certain if this phenomenon extends to other collectible markets, but I know that restoration is not as shunned by collectors of paintings or antiques. From what I have surmised thus far, collectors of coins only disapprove of cleaning that results in harm or an unnatural look for the coin. Is this somewhat accurate?

[gmarguli]

From what I have surmised thus far, collectors of coins only disapprove of cleaning that results in harm or an unnatural look for the coin. Is this somewhat accurate?

 

That is correct. However, any kind of work being done on them has a negative connotation with many collectors, because these collectors don't take the time to learn about what is actually being done. Collectors frequently want so-called "original" coins. However, they just don't understand the term original.

 

Many collectors (mainly newer collectors) want blast white coins since they look like they did the day they left the mint. What they don't understand or even accept when you tell them is that a very significant percentage of these coins have been dipped to remove toning. Sure, they look like they did when they came from the mint 100 years ago, but they are not original in the truest sense. However, they are perfectly acceptable by the marketplace.

 

There is NO WAY to tell if a coin has been dipped properly. The only give away is common sense in that a silver coin just doesn't stay blast white over 100+ years. A tiny fraction of them will, but those are the exception, not the rule.

 

These white coins are the easiest to sell to most collectors. Only when the cleaning is done improperly do most collectors start to avoid them.

 

I read that post on comic restoration and for everything that has been done to a comic, something similar has probably been done to a coin. Besides the removal of dirt/toning, people have whizzed (high speed metal brush to remove marks) them, put epoxy on the surfaces to hide hairlines, tooled (make more detail on the coin to make it look like a higher grade - basically re-engraving the coin), used a laser to remove hairlines, used chemicals/heat to place toning on the coin to either cover marks or make the coin more attractive for sale, added/removed mint marks, and on and on.

 

Dipping is considered OK, any of the above is not.