• Forum server maintanace Friday night.(around 7PM Centeral time)
    Website will be off line for a short while.

    You may need to log out, log back in after we're back online.

Cleaned vs PMD/ED

KirkS

Full Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
243
Location
St Pete FL
So everyone hates to scratch a coin while digging it up. But why? From what I gather reading the various forums, any coin we dig is going to be worth scrap value. You dig it up, clean it off, and you have a 'cleaned' coin that has had all of it's numismatic value cleaned away. You leave it dirty, tarnished, or crusty, you have a coin that has environmental damage, or post-mint damage, again, losing all numismatic value.

So how do we retain any of the numismatic value of a dug coin, or can we? Sure some will have a slight premium, but if you dig up a coin that was in XF40 condition in let's say 1932, it's value will be decreased just because it's been in the ground for so long.

What's a detectorist to do?
 
Rinsing off a minty looking silver is not necessarily the same as the "cleaning" the graders are talking about...

<°)))>{
 
Rinsing off a minty looking silver is not necessarily the same as the "cleaning" the graders are talking about...

<°)))>{
You are correct. Leaving the original patina on the surface is the main thing for most collectors.
Strictly speaking, no chemicals or abrasives are to be used on collectible coins. Anything but water supposedly shows up on the surface ( or evidence that it's been there) if you send in a coin to be graded and slabbed. Rubbing off the sand and dirt from the surface with your fingers does add fine, microscopic scratches which would lower the grade. Not sure all that has any bearing on most coins found in the ground as they would never be put to that scrutiny.
 
All depends on what material the coin is made of, some materials take a light cleaning much better than others.
Personally, and this will offend some, if it's something I am selling I will clean it the bare minimum to see the detail, it is something I am keeping I tend to over clean knowing it will retarnish with time in my collection.
 
So everyone hates to scratch a coin while digging it up. But why? From what I gather reading the various forums, any coin we dig is going to be worth scrap

Some of the rare ones will still be above scrap if they are recognizable. I just want something that looks pretty to display and to hold a piece of history. The fact that "scrap" is over $200 a pound makes it even better.
 
Unless it's a key date coin worth $100 or more I'll clean it until I'm happy with the results. Not selling them anyway. Now if it's a potentially valuable coin I just rinse it off and send it off to be slabbed and graded. At least that's what I would plan to do. Not happened yet.
 
Back
Top Bottom