Should you clean old coins before selling

Leave the coin alone, including the afternoon you sell it. Dirt and tone are part of what a dealer sees. A rub or a soak changes the surface, and the change stays. The ANA coin collecting FAQ gives the short answer on cleaning. A cleaned coin that has wear looks bright and worn at the same time, and the coin generally loses some of its value. Someone who looks at coins for a living can usually spot it. If a relative already cleaned the lot, say so. The walk-through for a whole box is how to sell a coin collection.

Hairlines from a rub

Hairlines are the fine scratches a rub leaves in the fields. The Reading Room note on how to recognize a cleaned coin describes them. A cloth, a tissue, or a paper towel scrapes a little metal off the surface. The lines run across the field and into the design, instead of following the wear. They sit down in the metal. Die-polish lines sit up. Tilt the coin under a lamp. The hairlines flash, and they flash harder on a coin that never circulated, because the mint luster is easy to disturb.

Baking soda is the powder people look up before a sale. Rubbed on the coin, it is an abrasive, in the same family as that cloth. Toothpaste and a pencil eraser are the same kind of rub. NGC's details glossary defines CLEANED as a coin that shows abrasive or chemical cleaning.

Vinegar, and the other soaks

Vinegar is the other search. A soak is a chemical bath. The same CLEANED definition covers chemical cleaning. NGC's details grading page says the temptation is to improve the look by cleaning a coin chemically or mechanically. Light cleaning, especially on an older coin, can still leave the coin eligible for a numeric grade. Harsher cleaning that hurts the look receives a details grade only. Conservation leaves that harsh cleaning in place. At the sink, you cannot tell which of those two you just did.

The ANA FAQ names one narrow case, a coin so corroded you cannot tell what it is, and it points the rest of cleaning to a professional service. Read that answer before you fill a bowl. A dealer should see the coin first.

What the holder prints

A slab is one service's opinion in a holder. Leave the coin alone before anyone seals it. If you send the coin after a rub or a soak, the label is where the service says what it saw.

NGC's note on details grades shows the shape of that label. The wear is written as VF DETAILS, or the matching word for how much detail is left. The surface problem is printed under that line. NGC's own example of the full line is NGC VF DETAILS - REV GRAFFITI. Cleaning problems on that same list include CLEANED. The glossary is where CLEANED is defined. It says IMPROPERLY CLEANED and SURFACE HAIRLINES are no longer used, and it points both at CLEANED. A wipe that leaves hairlines in one spot can be called WIPED. That note is often from handling, and it is still a details grade. Unskilled cleaning is a different job from professional conservation. The same NGC note says so.

The value of a details-graded coin is the coin in hand. NGC's details grading page says that value is never the grade alone. The severity matters, and so does the spot on the coin. A problem-free coin of the same wear is a different conversation. The numeric grades live in the glossary.

What to do with the coin instead

Hold it by the edge. Coin-grading basics says to use a thumb and index finger on the edge, and to keep skin off the two faces. Wear gloves when you have them. Oil from a fingerprint can mark the field.

Keep the holder the coin arrived in. If the coin is loose, the ANA FAQ says to store coins one at a time in an acid-free envelope or a PVC-free mylar flip, somewhere dry, at a fairly steady temperature. Work over a soft cloth. A jar poured onto a towel scratches the faces. That is the same caution on the sell note.

An estate box starts with I inherited a coin collection. A Morgan dollar has its chart on the Morgan page. The silver in a common worn coin is the same silver with the dirt still on it. The metal figure is the melt calculator. A dealer prices the coin in hand. Dates to set aside before a sale are on what old coins are worth money. If the jar is mostly worn silver dimes, quarters, and halves, the sort is what is junk silver.

If the coin is already bright from an old cleaning, stop there. Another rub adds lines. Tell the dealer what you know.

Take the coin to a shop or a show

When you want a person to look, take the coin the way it is. The coin dealer directory lists public shops, including Ohio coin dealers. A coin show puts several tables in one afternoon. Bring the holders and the story you actually have. A local dealer will make you an offer.

People Also Ask

Should I clean old coins before I sell them?

Leave them as they are. A rub leaves hairlines, and a dealer can see them. The walk-through for a whole box is how to sell a coin collection.

Can I clean old coins with vinegar before selling?

Leave the vinegar in the kitchen. A soak is a chemical bath, and NGC calls abrasive or chemical cleaning CLEANED. Take the coin to a coin dealer or a coin show with the surface it has now.

Can I clean old coins with baking soda before selling?

Baking soda rubbed on a coin is an abrasive, and a rub leaves hairlines in the fields. Leave the powder in the box. A coin dealer or a coin show can look at the coin as it is.

What does a cleaned details grade mean?

NGC prints the wear as something like VF DETAILS, and prints the surface problem under that line. CLEANED means abrasive or chemical cleaning. A slab is that opinion in a holder. Numeric grades are in the glossary.

Someone already cleaned the coins. What should I say?

Say what happened. Another cloth or soak adds more hairlines. A shop can still look at the coins. Browse coin dealers or see upcoming coin shows.

Where should I take old coins I have not cleaned?

To a shop or a show, in the holders they are already in. The coin dealer directory lists public shops, including Ohio coin dealers. Coin shows put several tables in one afternoon. An estate box starts with I inherited a coin collection.