Uncirculated Luster

How to find out cleaned coins ?

Coin doctors use a variety of means to improve the appearance of coins. Some results are obvious to the naked eye, but most are so deceptive that they’re almost invisible. You can avoid many repaired, restored, and recolored coins by being aware of the traps.

Most professional coin dealers can’t tell a recolored coin from an original and neither will you until you’ve spent many years studying coins. The simplest and most cost effective way to bypass this problem in its entirety is to buy coins certified by either of the two major grading services, which guarantee their descriptions.

How a coin is cleaned and what you use to clean it with are critical factors in determining whether the cleaning is a success or a failure. What about the coins in your collection? Most likely, you can point out the coins in your collection that you’ve cleaned personally. But can you tell whether other coins in your collection have been cleaned by someone else? What about the coin you’re about to buy?

Do you have the knowledge to determine whether a coin has been cleaned? If not, watch out for unnaturally bright surfaces. This is a good indication that the surfaces have been scrubbed. All coins have a natural brightness (or luster) when they’re brand new. As a coin wears, the luster begins to disappear. And by the time a coin reaches the grade of Very Fine, the luster is completely gone.

Be suspicious of any coin below the grade of About Uncirculated that appears to have full luster — the coin may have been polished or worked on. In Uncirculated condition, cleaning is harder to detect because coins are expected to be bright in those grades. Nevertheless, if you find out what real, original luster looks like, you’re less likely to be fooled by a cleaned coin.

Until you feel comfortable in your ability to tell whether a coin has been cleaned, stick with certified coins — coins that have been authenticated, graded, and certified by an independent, third-party grading service. Reputable grading services will not certify a coin that has been cleaned (or else they will make such a notation on the holder label). This eliminates much of the uncertainty and lets you focus your buying on coins that look nice for the grade.

About the Author

This author writes about Dried Flower Vase and Seven Types of Anxiety. Visit the Undervalued Penny Stock website for penny stock secrets.

1923-S Lincoln Cent Full Red Uncirculated