To clean or not to clean: 1966 50 cent pieces

Au-mageddon

Au-mageddon

Active Member
I have some mint 50s which unfortunately have some toning / green copper verdisgris on the coins. Refer pic below.

4269_p1040884.jpg


Any suggestion how to maximise their sales potential (ie clean/don't clean, and best cleaning method given their mint nature)?

Thanks,

Au-
 
makes no difference value wise unless you are a sucker that buys them on ebay as BU
 
JollyKillBill said:
Some of my coins were completely black, then I did his method now they are so shiny, like they are straight from the mint :D
Click to expand...

+1. Sometimes the extra rubbing with straight bicarb in the fingers give you cramps (particularly for small coins) but works very well.


Edit: Actually while we are on the topic of 1966 50c pieces, does anyone know the expected weight variability in these coins?

A bunch arrived today from one of our reputable site sponsors and despite not looking very worn a couple were <12.9g with the lightest being 12.72g and on the high end had a few >13.4 with the heaviest 13.59g
 
I dont mind about finger cramps - As long as the bicarb doesnt dull the mint surface thats hiding below the crud.

I have some mint 1961 florins straight out of a damaged roll (but toned)- would it be recommended to clean these as well ?
My first thought was "No dont" as I dont want to ruin any numismatic value they might have.
 
People expect old coins to be toned, not shiney and new as if they had come straight from the mint.

Collectors who care about the difference between UNC and aUNC are always on the look out for cleaned coins and would be suspicious.

Try cleaning one and see how it goes, the Aluminium foil and bicarb trick works great on pure silver, less so on stirling, not really worth it on 80% and I have had no luck with 50%.

Very often the Green may have come from storing in PVC holders, in which case a soak in acetone will remove the colour, are they sticky at all? Acetone will not polish the coins, just remove PVC residue, the toning will remain.

For shiney 50 cents though you can't beat a good 6 hour soak in cloudy ammonia followed by a paste of sodium bicarb rubbed on with your thumb!
 
NEVER clean a numismatic coin. If you need it cleaned, it's either not in collectible condition, or should be sent off for professional conservation.

Bullion or junk coins on the other hand - the above videos demonstrate well.
 
Is it worth getting the mint florins conserved/graded?

I have no idea whats involved/costs so would appreciate any info people can provide.
 
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