Newbie conservation questions

[Goldenarrow-migration]

Hi all,

I am new to coin collecting and would like some details regarding the usefulness of conservation. It seems like a likely place to learn what can go wrong with coins in general and what to stay away from buying in the first place.

 

For instance, I see some coins on eBay and they sure look gray and washed out, they look cleaned, especially if some dark areas are left behind in the corners near the rim. Would conservation help such coins? Would cleaning damage them too much and what kind of cleaning does that?

 

As I understand it, anything that damages the surface permanently will make a coin ungradeable by the main grading services, and I guess rightly so. What I am trying to learn is how to identify those kinds of coins from an auction photograph and avoid them!! Or, if I see a weirdly toned coin and take a chance that it is not overly damaged, how can I identify that opportunity to save a coin specifically for conservation? Do you have on-line classes that I can take to help me identify which coins might be worth the risk of buying them?? I think it would help the whole hobby if there was an increased awareness of what kinds of damage people are doing to perfectly innocent coins in the name of "cleaning" and "salesmanship".

 

Also, can I submit a coin that looks OK, maybe just a small amount of toning? What I want would be a way to authenticate coins that do NOT have a strong provenance (pedigree). In other words, the person I might buy from might not know exactly if it is authentic or not, they might be a person like me who is not an expert in identifying fakes/forgeries. I cannot expect a layperson who is like myself to be an expert in numismatic forgeries, that would be an unfair expectation. But I do want to raise an awareness of the seemingly bountiful supply of fakes coming out of Asian countries today as well as older fakes that ended up in circulation (and into coin collections) - and what to do about them! Do you have a service that can help??? I have the opinion that "Conservation", with a capital "C", should promote authentic coins that can be conserved vs. forgeries and fakes that reduce the reputation of the hobby and give it a bad name!!

 

Just my curiousity at work and I hope this can lead to a good discussion.

 

Goldenarrow

 

 

 

[coinman1794]

Where to begin...none of the questions you are asking have simple answers. They require extensive, hands-on experience to learn and master. I would start with a good book on what goes on in the coin field, then view tens of thousands of coins, and use some common sense to recognize what is what, and what doesn't look right, etc.

[Goldenarrow-migration]

Coinman,

Hi, and thanks for the common sense reminder! I am trying to sift through what looks salvagable and what does not. I suppose I can try to read as many internet links as well as books.

 

I was hoping someone from NCS would answer, too, so I would know a little more detail before committing to get a coin cleaned up. For instance, there seems to be a $15 minimum to conserve a coin but it does not state if they ask permission to spend more than that! What if I submit a coin valued around $100, and NSC decides unilaterally to charge me more than the $15 minimum. Will they ask my permission first??? Or will they just go ahead and do whatever work that they feel needs to be done and then charge me whatever they feel justified to charge me???

 

Any help appreciated!

 

Goldenarrow

[RareSov]

Any coin which looks cleaned should be avoided. A coin already "improperly" cleaned causing damage (scratches etc) will need to go to NCS for a slab anyway, NGC will not holder a damaged coin

 

NCS/NGC can authenticate your coins, it is part of the included service.

 

Ugly toning is the most likely toning reason to send a coin, and usually bad toning, spots, PVC, dirt and more could be removed resulting in a better coin. Check their site for examples, which should help you

 

As for money, NCS charges by a small $ of the value you put down. I put 1000 for my florin proof, and I was charged $40. There is only one decision made : conserve or not conserve. You pay either $10 or $10 + conservation fee at 4% rate of value.

 

You received a detailed invoice. $10 evaluation made it quite obvious and looks very fair to me.

 

$5 min makes $15 min, right ? that would apply for a coin put down as $125 value or less. So it works out pretty nice. Just choose the right candidates - circulated proof in my case, a cheap buy which I would not sell now for less than thousands..

 

 

So to my tip.. badly stored but very rare coins with layers of horrible contaminant, would be a prime choice especially gold. Gold coins are most likely to be able to be fixed, followed by high % silver