It's fascinating how the "experts" have free reign over "conserving" coins yet it's a sin for the common collector to address any issues with their coins the may deem to be required. In no way am I suggesting one should take a brillo pad to a coin but I do believe there are occasions where a dip just might enhance an otherwise ugly coin. I have numerous slabbed coins in my collection considered "cleaned" detail coins by the grading services, that I know many collectors would love to own...I put more stock in the coin itself,not the plastic or someone's subjective opinion. Thanks again for the discussion...
ABLEROONE: i agree with what youre saying. Take a 150 year old coin. Chances are that coin has been cleaned at one time or another. If you have a "natural" looking coin (cleaned over 100 yrs ago) and a third party grader dings you for it and calls it ungradable, thank him for his service, pay him and crack the coin out of the slab and have it regraded by another service and hope for a descent grading. Just being real here.
I use Goddards silver dip.Leave the coin in the dip for about 15 to 20 seconds and rinse with cold water pat dry with a cotton cloth. The coins come out amazing looking no tell tale signs of dipping. But only use on uncirculated tone coins
First thing your doing wrong is dipping the coin into the full container. All that does is place the dirt and sulfer etc back into the container from each coin submersion. This might build up enough to the point were it's actually leaving residue on each successive coins. Also the best method to rinse is with very warm distilled water as you don't want any mineral left behind only to later show up as a spot.
@@gregorysmith9299 I think the idea would be to pour some of the chemical into a smaller container and so you can dip the coin horizontally rather than vertically. that way your not using a ton of chemical but your also not contaminating your main supply and thus always have pure chemical to work with each time.
Well they cleaned up good but I love nothing more than that rose colored toning. The northern lights collection is absolutely amazing. Purple to rainbow.
I agree with not ever cleaning your coins however, seeing what the coin looked like after cleaning was helpful for me to spot what a coin would look. It was very helpful for me to see so when I shop on eBay for coins I have an idea of a cleaned coin. So thank you for that
You made my day. I'm glad you learned. I have other videos showing specific types of cleaning and how to spot it. Thanks for watching and you comments!
I agree gloves while handling coins and the second issue I have is dipping coins in this stuff or doing anything on this line even if they're so called restoring coins they just distroyed the value of the coins
I've heard that a 100% cotton rag is better than paper as it has less abrasive elements than paper which may contain wood or other mixes that can leave scratches, particularly noticable on high grade MS or PF coins.
You can use those blue nitrile gloves I guess they are ok. I use them when coin roll hunting or wraping up a Coin for a submission for grading. I am not sure how they are to use for dipping. But I know most people do confuse them with latex gloves. I buy a box of them for around 8 ish dollars at harbour freight stores ( XXL gloves they do carry if you have bigger hands or thick. I know XXL are hard to find they carry them.)
@@christophersimpson3642 I'd add that if you are going to use acetone, it will react with nitrile as I discovered my blue nitrile fingertips turning brown after a round of acetone processing. Use rubber gloves instead, for acetone.
You are correct in fact I know a few dealers who dipped thousands of coins had them graded with no problems ! If your seeing “blast white” coins in NGC/PCGS holder chances are they all been dipped at one time
Great video .One can still tell it's been cleaned by the dark areas around the stars for example. Also always wear gloves with this stuff. Thanks for the lesson.
When drying with a paper towel set the wet coin on two layers and fold the two layers over the top of the coin and press down. Do not rub. Scratches will appear if the material you are rubbing on the coin is harder than the metal. Sometimes you can use a Q-tip and work the solution lightly over the coin and it will not scratch and will remove spots and unattractive toning that dipping alone will not remove. Must rinse thoroughly and quickly because there is acid in the solution. That rotten egg smell is from sulfuric acid. Cleaning a coin without compromising its value or integrity is more art than science. Sometimes it will be a miraculous transformation and sometimes you ruin the coin. Be careful and conservative about cleaning coins, especially valuable coins. Invariably, if you leave the solution on too long it will destroy natural mint luster. Also, I have had very little success dipping non-silver coins. For me, I learned to never use it on copper or nickel coins. Never tried it on gold but it's hard for me to imagine any circumstance where I would dip a gold coin. I use it only on silver coins.
I use a small plastic net on a handle when I dip a coin. You can find these in the culinary utensils department at Walmart or even most local grocery stores. It’s way better than using tongs or your bare fingers. It also protects the coin from being dropped during the slippery dipping and rinsing process.
Im not sure what it is with the sudden love of dipping, but it really ruins coins more often than not, and its more the process instead of the quick chemical reaction (quik is the keyword - leave the coin in for more than a second and it will get improperly cleaned). For example, drying with a paper towel is not a good idea. Paper is abrasive. You should be using a silicone sheet to place your coins onto, not a paper towel, also because paper is coated with loose fibers (unless it is laboratory wipes for that specific reason). The coins should be rinsed in multiple baths of distilled (3 to be exact) so that absolutely no contaminants are carried throughout the process. Also, you need to be looking at a coin through a magnifying glass at least, better yet, a scope/loupe. You need to be looking at the surface at least at 10x magnification, because those proofs that you think look better could very well have just dropped a few grades from this process. And before you dip in a corrosive chemical, always prepare the surfaces with acetone to remove any oils/dirt, so the chemical reacts equally everywhere. I know a lot of people think restoration can be done by anyone, but that is like saying restoring clocks can be done by anyone. Technically true, but in reality it isnt. Im pretty sure the experts know all the way the chemicals react to silver and copper in the silver, and also what areas to remove and which ones to keep. I can tell you right now that milk spots are generally left alone during restoration, as removing them can leave a mar in the surface.
I dipped a lot of coins back in the 1960s and had the best luck with silver coins. Copper and nickel never came out well for me. The product is an acid so you must rinse all the chemical off of the coin and pat dry. Do not rub dry. I had good luck using Q-tips to dislodged stubborn tarnish in some coins but if you rub too much or keep the chemical on too long it will ruin the luster. Back then there were a lot of collectors who disliked toning so many coins were dipped by dealers to make them more marketable. Be very conservative about dipping. Today I would not use it just to remove toning. I would reserve it for coins that are severely compromised by surface dirt or irregular spots or tarnish. I will admit that dipping did improve many coins but ask yourself if you would like to buy a coin that had been dipped and you didn't know it..
I have seen many different types of coin cleaners/dips. Some coins take to it and instantly toning and surface dirt is gone. For PVc, use MS70. Then there are coins that you put them in either and nothing happens. Back in the early 90's was in a coin shop and the owner just bought a year set from the late 1880's, all the silver coins were deep black. He said he tried to dip the dime and nothing happened. I offered him a deal, let's partner on the coins and let me have them. He said he would let me have the dime and quarter to see if I could help. His shop was 20 minutes from my house, an hour later I was back, both coins still had lite golden toning, from black coal lifeless coins. We had nothing to lose, could still sell them as bu coins. I did the half and nickel, the cent was a lost cause. Sent them in for grading it was a nice matched set all coins came back MS64. I took Tide liquid put it on my fingers and let the detergent break the layer of top dirt, took awilem rinsed then dipped in a diluted solution, got most of the toning, saw the luster and stopped
In your explanations, you MUST be sure to tel the viewer to never "rub" while drying the coin but always "pat" the coin. Additionally, when I dip, I rinse with running water, then dip in distilled water, then dip in 91% Alcohol and then pat dry.
You and I do almost same process when dipping coins except I use Denatured alcohol it evaporates quickly also removes finger prints . In fact all my raw coins get dipped in denature alcohol even the copper coinage as well before I put it in a new 2x2 or ship it off for grading
Can't say I agree with everything on this video. It killed me to watch you dip that 1883 Morgan at the end. I MUCH prefer the original, more colorful skin before you dipped it. And it was worth more before you dipped it too. To each their own. We don't always have to agree. All I ask of everyone is if you dip a coin... NEVER pass it off/sell it as an original coin. Disclose that it has been cleaned. I've heard about too many people trying out the hobby, unknowingly bought a cleaned/molested coin from a dealer at top price, pridefully showed it to experienced coin collectors, and felt like they've been robbed after finding out that they overpaid for a "details coin", and then wanted nothing to do with numismatics. Like I said, to each their own. If you dip, keep the coin or disclose the cleaning when you sell it.
I'll make another video about why I made this video. It is education that is important. My views have changed quite a bit over the years on this issue.
It killed me too when I saw him dip that beautiful 1883 Morgan dollar ,a Morgan with that type of toning can bring premiums above actual coin grade it didn’t look that dark to me ! Took years to get that color to form on the coin , took less than 2 seconds to remove it !
Well, if I can sell it as a original coin,.. Case closed... Coins can lay in the same drawer for years, still no one's alike.. A coin is what it is, and if you like it,.. Maybe you buy it..
The answer is that it depends on the coin. Some coins once dipped have an unnatural look to them. They become to ''bright''. On coins like modern proofs, they generally won't know that you removed ''haze'' and they will certify them.
They'd be Details grading a lot of Morgan dollars, then. I've got many MS Morgan dollars which are white, including the edges, and there's no way they'd have survived that way for over 100 years without being dipped fairly recently.
Mr. Ben, when you have cleaned/ diped your coins, have you submitted them for grading to PCGS or NGC and have you got a grade or the details cleaned label or both?🤔
What do you think about using a soft cloth to dry with? I ask because it seems a paper towel can be somewhat rough. I appreciate the tip on cleaning. Looks to be a great way to clean off prints. Thanks
Patting them dry is a key, but I did get the suggestion to use air to dry them, not to let them air dry but to get a can of air and blow dry them. Some clothes are just as harsh as paper towel.
Here's some tips for drying a silver coin or proof after you dip or clean it. I found that paper towels do not dry the coin properly and you get streak marks ect. on them. I discovered what works best for me is holding the coin upright and air drying the coin, waving it back & forth in the air, using a space heater on it to blow dry or even using your breath. I hardly get any visible marks that way. The rubbing of a towel or cloth doesn't work for me. This also holds true when drying a silver coin or medal after using silver jewelry cleaner and rinsing them off with water.
I usually dipped then rinse coin in distilled water sometime I dipped them transfer the coin to ultrasonic cleaner with distilled water then dip it in acetone
Great video Ben. How the pendulum has swung back and forth over the past three decades as to toned coins not in vogue, then desirable, then not desirable? KenJo Gem Coins' CEO (me, lol) bought EZ EST by the gallon from my mentor's LCS. A newby customer on eBay or my website would occasionally bitch 'cuz of that dark stuff on the patina, e-mail a complaint, and want to return for a refund or exchange >>> I want a white coin!!! So we would dip that same coin, send it back to the customer. Now that's more like it KenJo Gem Coins. Give 'em what they want! When is the lesson on BLUE RIBBON? Someone has a stash of that stuff and it is NFS. Magician Here BTW. Later lol
Hopefully constructive criticism, I appreciated the video. Besides the removal of metal, it's the drying with paper towel that bothers me the most; super abrasive. Put those under a microscope and there are most likely tiny scratches that will change the luster. Most collectors can spot it. If NGC and PCGS use the same method, I bet they handle the coins more seriously. That said, was surprised to see them grading ungloved.
Thanks for the comments. This video will always be unpopular and my video discussing cleaning/preserving coins is also that way. I want collectors to know what dipping is, and what it does. Most collectors can not spot a dipped coin, and I hope to change that.
@@TheCoinGeek I had never seen it done before, I watched the demo with quite a lot of interest. I can see how tempting it is, especially with the proof you dipped halfway. And yep, pretty brave knowing how coin folks can/would react. You handle things quite well.
Not to be misleading - we rarely dip coins...at the coin shop we handle thousands of coins a week, but only dip a couple of coins a week. Usually they are modern ''hazy'' coins. The older coins are usually left as is. Watch this video to see the theory of coin diping. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nSJ4Tz704zw.html
Running water is not a good idea as it has fluoride, and can have things like copper, aluminum, sometimes arsenic, pesticides, herbicides which can wreak havoc to a silver coin. I would swing with filtered, or distilled spring water, which will contain much less contaminants, that could have an undesirable affect on the surfaces of a coin. Some States have ‘hard’ water, which can have many minerals, things like that can also have a negative affect if used to rinse a coin. Better safe than sorry.
Thank you for showing this ! In this era of fakes and cheats a person needs all the knowledge they can muster ! There's another subject for you to cover Ben ! Fakes
I use a series of ways to remove contaminants and tarnish. I use ms70 to remove gunk and thin toning really well. I had a 1880 S get graded artificial toning so I dipped it today with ms70 and it did nothing so I tried ez est and it came off with ease and turned the coin back into its original ms65/66 skin with PL surfaces. It is all trial and error and I agree you need to experiment with cheap coins to get practice for when you need to do it on a more expensive coin.
To TheCoinGeek, you need to read the directions, you emerse the coin and when you dry it use 100cotton and you lay flat and pat then I repeat 3more times. Do not twist or rub like you did on this video.
Great results on those Proofs! I kind of wonder though, after seeing you dip the coins with your bare fingers, if that stuff is something one wants on their skin. Maybe dipping would be better done with rubber gloves on.
That 1972 “Ike” dollar coin,are they any valuable? I had a couple rolls a while back when I first got into silver and I traded them when I found out they didn’t hold any silver.
You have to leave it in there at least 10 seconds Stir it in in a clockwise or counter clockwise. And you need to use Plastic tweezers and dip it in hot water immediately after To clean it..
NEIL'S COINS Exactly. Or, instead of plastic tweezers you can use nitrile gloves. One or two second dips doesn't give the solution enough time to work on the heavier toning.
How many times can a coin be dipped while attempting to remove spots that were caused by not drying the coin properly? You showed a Morgan that had a spot because it wasn’t completely dried. Couldn’t one just immediately re-dip the coin?
After one quick dip, if you don't get the results you're looking for, you should stop dipping the coin. If you do more than just a small amount, it will start to remove the luster and give the coin an unnatural look. If you have harder to get off spots, then you'll need techniques and chemicals I don't have. Sometimes NGC's Conservation group has the ability to get them off.
TheCoinGeek Thanks for replying. I noticed in other videos on cleaning coins where slight spots still remained after the first dip. Thanks too for the pointer that luster might be removed. 👍🏽❤️
Many dipped coins are not listed as cleaned, since it removes only the outer layer from the coin and when done properly does not have a long term negative effect.
I think most Morgan and Peace Dollars that have that "white" look to them have been dipped. That's because it seems unlikely to me that a 100+ year old silver coin would have no toning or tarnish. I prefer the toning in most cases and I think the new CAG rating service is harsh in rating dipped coins. For sure, I can say it is not smart to ever dip a circulated coin.
Use microfiber to dry them! Don't be a noob and use paper towel, wich is equivalent to 20,000 grit sandpaper. It leaves scratches and lint in the fields of the coin(s), like the ones visible after he dried them. I also made this mistake, back when I was a noob.
@@truckerenoch8824 Nope. Pressing the paper towel (not rubbing it) is totally safe. also, since it's a silver eagle it won't affect its value as its a bullion piece
IMO these coins are improperly rinsed and it's running a big risk of spotting. If you're going to use dips like this, rinse the f-balls out of your coins before you dry them off. I wouldn't go Robert Lawson and say you have to hold each side of the coin under running water for two minutes, but there's no reason that's a bad idea. People are probably afraid of water damaging a coin but this is absurd. Even unfiltered tap water with all its minerals and garbage isn't going to hurt a coin in the short amount of time it's wet. Like Ben says, dry them properly too and like he said at the end, "rinse them extremely well under running water." Glad I caught that before posting this comment.
I know absolutely nothing about coins and/or cleaning them but an coin expert on another video insisted that you never apply a paper towel on a coin to either wipe it or dry it. He also said never to touch a coin with your fingers. I don't understand why cleaning a coin properly reduces it's value. I'm new to this but why would that value of a coin be significantly reduced if it were cleaned properly. I can understand why if the coin weren't cleaned properly.
Well, I guess I'll be the first to chime in on this one. And it won't be pretty.... In my opinion, even showing people how to do this is irresponsible. There is a reason "most collectors have never seen it done", it's the wrong thing to do. Dipping silver in sulfuric acid removes metal. Not just tarnish... metal. The more you dip, the more the surface of the coin is removed. The grading companies used to refuse to grade dipped coins. But of course now they will (there's a lot of money in it). Never dip your coins, never rub your coins, never do anything shown on this video. And BTW, if a dealer told customers that the coins they were about to buy from him had been recently dipped... he would have no customers. Don't clean your coins! I warned you it wouldn't be pretty. :)
Thanks. This is about educating. And I was expecting your reaction and I appreciate it. I still tell people not to clean coins...I'll put out another video explaining more on why I would do such a sacrilegious thing. You still may not agree, but I think I'll make some points you'll agree with.
If you are going to dip your coin you should leave it in the solution for 5 seconds. Like the instructions say to do and all the other pros to do. But to each is own.
Coin geek, I believe there's acid in ez-est you may want to wear gloves. Also if you leave the coin in the solution for about 7-10 seconds you'll get a better result
Good video! But you need to read the directions. The instructions say to dip it for 10 to 15 seconds. You have to submerge the coin. And yes this product is amazing at removing tarnish and everything else. You can dip it properly as many time as needed to achieve required results. But dont leave it in the solution more than 10 to 15 seconds. Always neutralize the solution on your coin when you remove it and clean with water. Then when fully dried you can dip again. Good video but you may want to try the 10 to 15 seconds.
If seen it all nearly as far as coins go. I've seen dealers roll the edge of dollars in sulfur before a show. I've seen people get vinegar and swirl a copper penny in it to just barely bring out the red again. In my day they had a preservative for coins that was allowed and is not cleaning a coin. The issue is all my coins look like they were just minted and everyone says the coins were cleaned and worthless; instead of PCGS MS 68-70... because there is no toning. In fact I was the dumb one who saved all the PCGS labels and cracked open the cases and put them in a book. When your dealing with so many collections; it's just easier that way. Of course I gave many collections to my daughter who lost them or her boyfriends got them. One day she said she left a 100 ounce bar of silver as a doorstop behind because it was to heavy; about the time she asked me for money... and it was worth about 3500 if memory serves me correct.; Not that all women are the same; but you never leave ladies with coins or guns. They'll ruin all your hard work and accept pennies on the dollar in most instances. They have coin doctors; but they have dried up; because most were old men who had been in coins for awhile and could actually do a decent job. Any restoration these days will be a nightmare I'm sure. Best advice; anything but key dates is nearly worthless. Go by grey sheet.... which is retail in my mind. If you by a coin from a small dealer; you'll get ripped off. Try asking him about the coins you want to buy; and say I have this coin and wondering what you'll pay for it. Then you'll have an idea how bad your getting ripped off. The large investors started collecting key dates and have drawers full of the same coin; and it's nearly impossible to fill that last hole without being ripped off. The large dealers took al the fun out of it. I remember when you could find the best key dates in pocket change circulating back in the 70's. By the late 90's all the fun was taken out of collecting. Of course i collect everything; I tried antiquities; and my ex wife really didn't appreciate such; but she took everything when I was in the middle east. Life is so funny.
I've watched the video and read the comments -- and I'm just as bewildered as before as to whether or not I can ever do anything to "restore" or "preserve" a coin. For the purists who scream NEVER -- I would love to sell you my PCGS slabbed MS67FB Franklin half dollar which is so filthy you can barely read the date -- and on the reverse? -- the full bell lines? -- it's like what bell? It's that cruddy looking. I can't give it away.
you do know or I would think you would. that cleaning a coin will take away the value. this should only be dun a coin not holding high value or buy someone who cares less or on a coin that says is a near-flawless coin but has a water spot or ringer print wear leaving that will decrease the value but removing it will make it more valuable. also, it's very hard to figure out but some graders, not companies the people who do the grading for NGC and as and so on some of their graders will notice it was a dipped coin and mark it as clean. others will do nothing. so be careful. and the biggest thing I want to mention is you notice this guy is wiping the coin with his finger and wiping it with a paper towel. you do not want to do this you want a clean cotton cloth that has been well watched and only used for coins using that pause it down on the coin to dry any movement of the close of rubbing can leave scratched.
I'm not sure what Tarn-X is or does, so it will be hard for me to answer. It is possibly a similar solution (since you are using water to ''dilute'' it).
some people like clean coins but I would much rather have them original not dipped or cleaned in any way. I think your coins looked better before you cleaned them but every one is different