Coin collector says no

leozdad said:

Ok I'm very new to the hobby. When you do find a coin what is the best way to clean off the initial dirt to see what it is? Do you use a brush or something? Sorry if it's a dumb question, I'm a noobie !

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I follow the protocol in my coin book, which I stated in an earlier post. When I dig a coin and it's dirty, I rinse it under a tap, then pat it dry with a 100% cotton cloth. If it's exceptionally dirty you can use a paintbrush or toothpick to VERY CAREFULLY brush the dirt particles off before rinsing.

This type of cleaning I use for coins that I 1) can't yet tell what they are or 2) I know are old or valuable. The clad doesn't get the same treatment.

I found a 1921 D Mercury Dime while hunting the front yard of an old home here in the city where I live. I was very careful not to clean it in any way. I took it to the coin shop in a nearby town and made the mistake of telling him I found it while metal detecting. He told me that there was no way that coin came out of the ground and also that it had been cleaned. I told him that I did find it MDing and that I never cleaned it other than running water over it. He then said that it was probably fake and that he would give me $40.00 for it. I passed on the offer and took it to another guy that I knew that bought old coins. He told me that the coin was indeed genuine and that it did not appear to have been cleaned and had only environmental damage. He made me an offer on the coin and I ended up taking it because I was broke at the time. I regret selling the coin but I learned a valuable lesson. I would never tell anyone that the coin was found while metal detecting because they immediately discount it. I could have had the coin graded and slabbed but I felt that by the time I paid for that I more than likely would not have made any more than the guy gave me.

ScubaDetector said:

You know what pains me? Watching videos like some of the most profitable detectorists out there and watching them wipe the dirt off a silver coin.

I learned the hard way that was taboo. Tis life in the big city, everyone has the right to do what they want with their finds. I just cringe!!

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Ouch know what you mean I did that before never again