Cleaned Coins 0

[Grant Gerlinger]

Hello everyone, I wanted to get some people’s thoughts on this. I want to try and assemble as many different types of US coins as I can. Some of the very early coins are pretty rare to find in any grade. I was wondering if you were buying would you just buy a lower grade of those coins or a higher grade that is cleaned? Is it more of a decision based off of how cleaned it is? Some of them show obvious signs of cleaning but some may be a bit less obvious. I know it’s not a good idea to buy cleaned coins of varieties that are plentiful but I didn’t know if they should be completely avoided the same with rarer coins. Thank you for your time.

[JKK]

Depends what you like, what your grade targets are, your resources. Cleaned coins will tend to price a grade or two low, but as investments they will be impaired as their surfaces are. There are levels of cleaning, from subtle and gentle to brutal and uglifying. What you should really watch for is dealers who do not disclose that the coin is cleaned, and you only find out later when you run a magnifying glass over it and find thousands of fine whizzing lines. It's one thing to pay less because the coin has a bad cleaning; it's another to get taken in. Just know what you are choosing, and ask yourself if the discount is worth it to you.

[EdG_Ohio]

I can only speak from personal experience. I purchased a 1858 1C small letters that looked pretty nice and would of been a lower 4 digit coin but once sent in and received that ugly "details cleaned" it's value diminished greatly to the point it's at $319 and not even a slight interest despite still being a very nice looking coin.
  I've saved a few for my personal collection and a few I put up for sale but they sit collecting virtual dust in my store. I imagine it's like most coin collecting, personal choice and budget.
 

[Coinbuf]

There is no correct answer to your question, there are many variables and each coin must be weighed on its own merits and warts.   My general rule is buying a cleaned or damaged coin is buying someone else's problem, they are problem coins and always will be.   There is a collector for every coin but if you pay too much for problem coins you (or your heirs) will certainly be reminded when it comes time to sell.   So my advice is to avoid them unless you can properly identify the problems and have a keen understanding of the appropriate price to pay.

[Mr.Bill347]

Like you said EDG, some times its subtle. These are subtle. I probably wouldn't have seen it

[JT2]

2 hours ago, Coinbuf said:

My general rule is buying a cleaned or damaged coin is buying someone else's problem, they are problem coins and always will be. 

Coinbuf hit the nail right on the head.....once a problem always a problem

[DWLange]

There is a broad range of quality in Details graded coins. The same description "Cleaned" may be assigned to a coin that's an absolute eyesore or one that is so pleasing it's hard to find any sign of cleaning. There are some really good values in Details graded coins. While they'll usually sell at a discount to numerically graded coins, they should not be dismissed altogether. For example, the 1854 $3 piece in my type set is NGC graded AU Details Cleaned, but it's among the most attractive and original examples I've seen. Others must have agreed, because it cost me well over AU money in a Heritage auction, but I was nevertheless pleased to be the winner.