Is it okay to clean coins?
Having a nice shiny uncirculated coin directly from the roll is a feeling most people can appreciate. Coins have beautiful designs and are very detailed when fresh from a roll or circulation. Over time, coins can become dirty due to things like fingerprints, oxidation and overall dirt and grime through being kept for many years. This is not always a bad thing. Any coin collector worth their salt would tell you that cleaning a coin to remove age and patina and other effects such as toning is a huge no-no. Cleaning your coins is almost never recommended unless the coins are never going to be graded and are being kept for their metal content.
Why should you NOT clean coins?
Cleaning your coins is almost never a good idea. Improper cleaning of a coin that is valuable can result in a major reduction in value. It will also deny future generations of coin collectors the chance to enjoy a coin in it’s original, uncleaned form. There is no going back.
Local Coin Shops and coin grading companies such as NGC ( Numismatic Guaranty Corporation ) or PCGS ( Professional Coin Grading Service ) whom grade coins on a daily basis will absolutely be able to tell if a coin has been cleaned. When coins are professionally graded by NGC or PCGS will even notate on the coin’s holder that the coin has been cleaned. Coins that have been submitted to these companies will almost always notice signs of cleaning. Abrasive cleaning such as brushes, acids, alcohol, vinegar, or other strong compounds cause makings on the coin that may only be visible with a magnifying glass or microscope. This will always make the coin less collectible to other collectors and ultimately lower it’s value substantially.
What kind of coins are okay to clean?
Cleaning coins is usually only acceptable if the value of the coin is at melt value. This means that the coin has no collectible value other than the precious metal the coin is made of. Melt value refers to the price of the coins silver/gold/copper value. Melt value coins can be cleaned to appear cleaner if you’d like. There’s no real reason to clean your melt value coins other than to just make them shiny.
What should I use to clean coins?
If you decide you would like to clean some coins in your collection to make them have a better appearance I would recommend simply using warm water. Use a normal faucet to run a stream of warm water of the coin. This method is simply to loose small debris and loose surface dirt without damaging the coins small details and delicate finish. Once you have run the water over the coin simply dry it with a soft towel or microfiber cloth. You ideally want a cloth with very soft to the touch material as you do not watch to scratch or damage the coin.
A word to the wise: Do not abrasively run your finger over the coin as if there is any surface debris, dust or other dirt it may scratch the surface of the coin. Also, it is almost never advised to clean gold coins unless you are professional. Gold is a very soft metal and can even a soft cloth can scratch it. Gold can easily be damaged by rubbing or scrubbing. If you are planning to keep coins in your collection, it would be best to take them to a professional. Having a professional look at an clean your coins if necessary would allow the coins to be prepped for proper and safe storage.
If I’m going to clean my coins, what should I NOT do?
Things you do NOT want to use to clean coins would be:
- Ketchup ( Vinegar and Salt are corrosive and bad for the coin )
- Toothpaste ( It has micro scrubbers that are abrasive to clean teeth, not coins! )
- Metal Polish ( These contain strong chemicals used to etch metal to remove grit and grime.)
- Anything abrasive ( Do not use anything you would use on dishes or household cleaners. )
Did you know that coins can be worth MORE when dirty, toned or tarnished?
You read that right, coins can actually be worth more when dirty or tarnished. Coins that stand the test of time and make it to current day with high grades are very rare. These rare coins all look fairly similar as the front and back are the same. However, when you add key details like toning, and interesting wear patterns, the coins can be worth substantially more.
How does cleaning coins effect their value?
At a coin show I was speaking to a collector at a booth and he told me a story about a coin that was bought by a friend of his. His friend had bought a coin that was worth roughly around $100,000 dollars at an auction. The man was using coins as a means of investing and he was not an experienced collector. He truly cherished the coin he had purchase but it never was good enough for him. He believed the coin was dirty and decided he would remove the coin from it’s holder to clean it a little bit using a buffing wheel.
By doing this he effectively lowered the value of the coin to a very substantially lower value. He had polished away all the details that were so very appealing and sought after making the coin valuable. The value of the coin dropped thousands of dollars simply by being inexperienced and cleaning a coin that should have never been touched.
What did you learn?
Although having a shiny coin is nice, it is best to leave the coin as is. This holds on to the value and collectability of the coin making it collectible for future generations. Ultimately this blog post is simply to encourage coin enthusiasts and collectors to avoid cleaning coins. Old coins with patina, toning and other discoloration and markings are like a fine wine or a vintage style piece of clothing. People enjoy the nostalgia and look and appreciate it with it’s natural beauty. Have fun collecting and don’t clean those coins!