An improperly cleaned Indian Head cent from 1900. Note the wear present, as well as tarnished areas on the "brilliant red" surface.
Coin cleaning is the controversial process of removing undesirable substances from a coin's surface in order to make it more attractive to potential buyers. The subject is disputed among the numismatic community whether cleaning coins is necessary. Those that argue in favor of cleaning are also in dispute on which methods work best. It was once common practice to clean coins as the method was recommended by experts in the field. Solutions from pencil erasers to wire brushes and potassium cyanide were all used as cleaning agents with the goal to make the coin look brilliant again. When certified grading came into use in the mid 1980s though, the practice of cleaning coins diminished over time. Most coin experts have since come out against cleaning coins, as doing so can negatively affect them both in grade and value. If a potentially valuable coin must be cleaned (for example if the coin is deformed) then professional work is recommended. Commonly found coins are mentioned as ideal candidates for any attempted cleaning experiments.
1980s though, the practice of cleaningcoins diminished over time. Most coin experts have since come out against cleaningcoins, as doing so can negatively...
Several cleaning methods Cleaning is the process of removing unwanted substances, such as dirt, infectious agents, and other impurities, from an object...
damage, nicks, polishing, cleaning, scratches and other forms of wear are considered factors in grading a coin. Whether or not a coin shows evidence of having...
A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion, bearing an organization's insignia or emblem and carried by the organization's members. Traditionally, they...
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists...
Coin collecting is the collecting of coins or other forms of minted legal tender. Coins of interest to collectors include beautiful, rare, and historically...
Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is an American third-party coin grading, authentication, attribution, and encapsulation service founded in 1985...
v t e Coin collecting Numismatics Bi-metallic coin Challenge coin Circulation issue CoinCoin base weight CoincleaningCoin counterfeiting Coin roll hunting...
finish. These include using a higher force during coining, the use of fresh dies, and special cleaning. Proof coinage Money portal Unser, Darrin Lee (14...
A commemorative coin is a coin issued to commemorate some particular event or issue with a distinct design with reference to the occasion on which they...
Proof coinage refers to special early samples of a coin issue, historically made for checking the dies (as in demonstrating that something is true) and...
numismatics, token coins or trade tokens are coin-like objects used instead of coins. The field of token coins is part of exonumia and token coins are token money...
Coin counterfeiting of valuable antique coins is common; modern high-value coins are also counterfeited and circulated. Counterfeit antique coins are...
Ultrasonic cleaning is a process that uses ultrasound (usually from 20 to 40 kHz) to agitate a fluid, with a cleaning effect. Ultrasonic cleaners come...
expensive coins. Most of these are auction prices. Several private sale prices over $2m are not in this list yet. "US Double Eagle gold coin sold for record...
two ways: Seigniorage derived from specie (metal coins) is a tax added to the total cost of a coin (metal content and production costs) that a customer...
scrip) other than coins and paper money. This includes "Good For" tokens, badges, counterstamped coins, elongated coins, encased coins, souvenir medallions...
circulation coin, sometimes called a business strike (US), is a coin minted and issued for commerce as opposed to those made as commemorative coins and proof...
notaphily was established as a separate area by collectors. The term was coined in 1970 by Robert Stanley, a linguist then employed as Public Relations...
Coin slab is a type of holder for a coin. Slabbed coins are typically from one of the coin grading companies. The practice of sending coins to third-party...
A coin wrapper, sometimes known as a bank roll or roll, is a paper or plastic container for a number of coins. In the 19th century, coins were distributed...
Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water. Clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent...
are graded by a system much like the 70 points Sheldon coin grading scale which is used for coins. Top-quality grades include "Gem" or "Choice" condition...
international third-party coin grading and certification service based in Sarasota, Florida. It has certified more than 60 million coins. NGC certification consists...
Coin-rolling related scams are a collection of scams involving coin wrappers (rolls of coins). The scammer will roll coins of lesser value or slugs of...
A coin catalog (or coin catalogue) is a listing of coin types. Information may include pictures of the obverse and reverse (front and back), date and...
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