To Clean or Not to Clean?

One of the most prolific discussions and controversies in numismatics has been the subject of coin cleaning. Is it conservation? Is it damaging the coin? Can it be both? Many collectors grapple with these questions and come to wildly different conclusions.

I’m certain that at least once, all of us have bought coins that appeared blast white or uniquely lustrous only to discover later—sometimes much later—they were cleaned. This could have been done with wire brushing, over-dipping, or excessive rubbing with an abrasive cloth. The intention is to sharpen a coin’s eye appeal, though these efforts often give a coin “that weird look.” The often-unnatural shine is caused by disrupting the original flow lines of mint luster or the over-smoothing of a circulated coin’s surface. Improperly cleaned coins often lose value, sometimes by more than half. These once sought-after mementos of history are forever damaged by naive attempts to increase their value. This is a widespread problem, too, when browsing at coin shows and especially when buying online. Many pieces display evidence of improper cleaning.

Coin Restoration

Yet despite all this, when done professionally, cleaning can serve as a restorative agent, bringing back coins that would otherwise be lost to the environment. Take the famous example of the SS Central America. Explorers recovered many coins from the sunken wreck that were exposed to the elements for over a century. Some of these coins became heavily encrusted with limestone and cloaked in a hard layer of ocean debris. Therefore, the only way to recover them was through cleaning. Professional conservationists brought these coins back to their original mint-state condition by meticulously softening the debris and slowly removing it. Some better dates, now restored, fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auction. These results would not have been possible if the coins had remained in their limestone-encrusted state.

Ongoing Debate

This dichotomy between harmful cleaning and preservation is the core of the debate. With every coin holding intrinsic and numismatic values, discerning the ethics of coin cleaning and whether it’s ever necessary is an incredibly complicated process. This conversation requires a balancing act between the preservation of history and the enhancement of collectability.
As we look forward, technological advancements may produce safer and more precise cleaning methods. In the meantime, individuals who take matters into their own hands produce destructive results. Active discussions and a better understanding of this topic are the only ways to help shape ethical and informed practices for future generations.

To learn more about so-called “Details” and their impact on a coin’s value, read Larry House’s article on the topic by clicking here.