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Good shape?
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17 posts in this topic

How do you define "good".   From your photos it would appear to be an environmentally damaged 1946 Lincoln wheat cent and my red book shows that 991,655,000 were coined in Philly in 1946, certainly not rare by any definition.   Yes some collectors will be amazed to find a coin this old and consider that a good find, others would not give it a second look due to the poor condition of the coin.

Cleaning coins, unless done by someone very knowledgeable with experience using various chemicals, is more than likely to damage a coin as opposed to helping it.   There is no law against cleaning coins, if you want to clean a coin you purchased or found that is your choice.

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On 7/2/2022 at 5:42 PM, Coinbuf said:

How do you define "good".   From your photos it would appear to be an environmentally damaged 1946 Lincoln wheat cent and my red book shows that 991,655,000 were coined in Philly in 1946, certainly not rare by any definition.   Yes some collectors will be amazed to find a coin this old and consider that a good find, others would not give it a second look due to the poor condition of the coin.

Cleaning coins, unless done by someone very knowledgeable with experience using various chemicals, is more than likely to damage a coin as opposed to helping it.   There is no law against cleaning coins, if you want to clean a coin you purchased or found that is your choice.

I consider good as is can read all words and letters . The details of the wheat are clear and not rubbed down as it is 76 years old I will clean this penny just for you so you can see all the beautiful details 

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Cleaning this coin would not hurt the value anyways as it is only worth the price of the copper so go ahead and clean it if you like. I have cleaned coins only worth face value for my granddaughters collection as she likes her coins “shiny”.

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I’m sorry coinbuf we all can’t be as lucky to have an uncleaned beautiful penny from 1946 but this one will be just fine and I made it clean so this is my baby you can go buy another one though I’ll stay hunting my pocket change 👍🏼

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Yes Thomas, Cleaning coins is not recommended if the coin was a collectable coin it would not be after cleaning it.. LoL 

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Cleaning a coin will reduce it's value and desirability for collectors.  Anything you do to the coin will be noticeable for decades or even centuries (serious).  Collectors like originality and will see the evidence of cleaning and discount the value accordingly.

That being said, your coin is a very common date and is stained, so the value is only a few cents.  Cleaning it isn't going to matter.  However, you should think of cleaning a coin like washing your car with sandpaper.  It will get the dirt off, but it's probably not a good idea.

Hope this helps

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On 7/2/2022 at 7:01 PM, Oldhoopster said:

Cleaning a coin will reduce it's value and desirability for collectors.  Anything you do to the coin will be noticeable for decades or even centuries (serious).  Collectors like originality and will see the evidence of cleaning and discount the value accordingly.

That being said, your coin is a very common date and is stained, so the value is only a few cents.  Cleaning it isn't going to matter.  However, you should think of cleaning a coin like washing your car with sandpaper.  It will get the dirt off, but it's probably not a good idea.

Hope this helps

I use a Dremel with a plastic wire wheel so no metal to scratch the coin and then some brasso with a polishing rag I think they turn out ok but yes your right cleaning I do think takes away originality

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On 7/2/2022 at 7:16 PM, Thomas Beers said:

 cleaning I do think takes away originality

 

 

Without question it does, and it diminishes collector value, as well.

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We are stewards of our collections and need to protect the coins for future generations of collectors.  When things like cleaning, damage from improper storage, PVC damage, or sunlight fading a banknote, once they occur they CAN'T be undone. 

While it may look pretty to you now, you may be ruining coins for future collectors.  The coin forums are littered with threads discussing great coins that have been cleaned.  Beautiful and historically significant coins, that for whatever reason, somebody thought they would look better.  What a shame.

As said previously, your coin is very common and cleaning it isn't a problem, but you should think long and hard about harshly cleaning coins.  You may think they look pretty, but future generations of collectors will think otherwise.

Edit to add

If you owned a copy of the Declaration of independence, would you sign your name to it?  Or draw a moustache on the Mona Lisa if it was yours?  Yes, those examples are extreme, but you should get the idea.

Edited by Oldhoopster
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@Thomas Beers if it brings you joy, do what you want.  I will warn you that you are completely destroying value in every coins you clean (chemically or mechanically).  Like others have stated, this coin was not valuable, so you did not really lose.  However, you will take extreme losses if you clean a coin of value.  With coins, originality is paramount.

We may collect however we wish, but it's always best to do so informed.

Note: You mention that you consider this coin "good".  Pay extra attention to the post @bsshog40 provided with the link to photograde.  This will help you to more accurately describe a coin's condition.  It's a super helpful site. 

Edited by The Neophyte Numismatist
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On 7/2/2022 at 7:16 PM, Thomas Beers said:

I use a Dremel with a plastic wire wheel so no metal to scratch the coin and then some brasso with a polishing rag

This reads like the “Never ever do this” section of every book on coins ever written. BTW, the plastic wire wheel DOES scratch the coin. It scratches it to DEATH.  There’s even a specific term for this kind of damage - whizzing. 

Edited by VKurtB
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On 7/4/2022 at 2:25 PM, VKurtB said:

This reads like the “Never ever do this” section of every book on coins ever written. BTW, the plastic wire wheel DOES scratch the coin. It scratches it to DEATH.  There’s even a specific term for this kind of damage - whizzing. 

 

On 7/4/2022 at 11:25 AM, Hoghead515 said:

Here is a very good example of an old coin being ruined by cleaning. This one was cleaned some time back but it removed the luster and left a dull look to the coin. This is an example of many very old coins that have been ruined from cleaning. Once you do it they can never be reversed. This would have been a sweet coin too. Also I done an experiment with brasso and it completely removes the original sheen and destroys the coin. I was just experimenting on junk coins. If you do use anything use pure acetone. Just let it sit. Dont wipe at all and let the coin air dry. Lumii_20220704_111748132.thumb.jpg.478b5fb9c328dfbfccaf919b6cbd13a8.jpgLumii_20220704_111721518.jpg.a9f1b4686e1f00456d39306201d73873.jpg

Thank you guys very good info what do I with the pure acetone 

Edited by Thomas Beers
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On 7/4/2022 at 5:55 PM, Thomas Beers said:

 

Thank you guys very good info what do I with the pure acetone 

 Put some pure acetone in a safe container  and drop the coin in. Let it sit for a few hours or so.  Then retrieve it and let it air dry. The acetone wont hurt the natural finish. Dont wipe with nothing. You can get pure acetone at hardware stores or home improvement stores such as Lowes. 

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