| It is very important for aspiring coin collectors to | | | | dark gunk gathered around the details of the coin, |
| know never to clean a coin, especially a rare coin, | | | | it may also have been cleaned, as this gunk may |
| that you find for your collection. The surface | | | | be leftover cleaner. You may think that the |
| condition of a coin is essential in indicating its value, | | | | buildup could just be from dirt and oils after years |
| and this value is reduced if the coin has been | | | | of handling, but those things to not usually build up |
| cleaned. For coins from the 20th century, cleaning | | | | in corners the way residue from a cleaner will. |
| will completely render them valueless. If an older | | | | Another sign of cleaning is the toning of an old |
| coin, say from the 18th or 19th centuries, has | | | | coin. If the toning is wildly uneven or off-color, |
| been cleaned, it still may have some value due to | | | | there is a good chance the coin has been cleaned. |
| its rarity - but it would be more valuable if its | | | | Even the most delicate cleaning will strip a coin of |
| surface was still intact and if it had never been | | | | its outer layers and cause it to tone in an |
| cleaned. | | | | unnatural, uneven way. Also be suspicious of coins |
| So how can you tell if a coin has ever been | | | | that are very old but that appear to be in great |
| cleaned or not? The easiest way is to look for | | | | shape. Is that 1812 coin really naturally that shiny |
| hairlines or scratches. Most careless collectors who | | | | after 200 years, or has it been cleaned? Logically, |
| have cleaned coins used an abrasive cleaner, | | | | even the best-kept old coin will have toned and |
| which almost always leaves small scratches on | | | | tarnished after a long passing of time. |
| the surface of the coin. Also, if you see black or | | | | |