Does Cleaning a Coin Hurt its Value? - APMEX (2024)

• Published onApril 3, 2023
• by APMEX

Will This Gold Eagle Lose Value if I Clean it?

Maybe you’ve found an old coin and it could be valuable, but it looks dirty. Would you try to clean it?

Don’t wash away the value of your coin!

Cleaning coins can cause irreversible damage to the coin’s surface and significantly reduce its value.

The consensus among coin experts and numismatists is never to try to clean a coin yourself. Cleaning your coin can reduce both its value and grade. It is recommended for collectors to store their coins and rounds in a way that preserves the condition over time.

Ensure your collection is stored away from moisture and heat, in an area protected from direct sunlight.

Why You Should Never Try to Clean a Coin

Chemical Reactions Associated with Cleaning can Damage Coins

Some chemical cleaning solutions can cause a reaction with the metal of your coin on the coin’s surface. These can be difficult to remove entirely and can cause damage to the surface of your coin.

Abrasive chemicals like baking soda, toothpaste, and acids can wear away the metal’s surface layer and destroy a coin’s luster.

Cleaning Coins can Damage to the Surface Layer of a Coin

Silver and gold are soft materials that scratch easily. Cleaning involves vigorous scrubbing, which literally changes the surface of a coin as it removes tiny bits of metal from the surface.

This causes irreparable damage to coins. Even if the scratches left on the coin are not apparent, a skilled appraiser will pick up on the scratches and hairlines. Skilled appraisers know to look for them.

Coins are engraved with very small, minuscule details; the condition of those details is where coins derive much of their value. If these details have been scratched, scrubbed, and been subject to corrosive chemicals, they will not be in the same condition they were in before.

Why You Should Never Clean an Old Coin

This is doubly true for older and more valuable coins. This is because cleaning your coin can reduce its patina and tone. Patina refers to the toning and coloration that develop on a coin’s surface.

This occurs as a reaction of the metal in your coin with oxygen, moisture and other elements in the environment. This is doubly true because of the beauty and value toning can add to a coin and the risk posed by harsh chemicals, residues, and scrubbers.

How Should I Remove Foreign Material from My Coin?

If you have a particularly valuable coin that you think is in need of cleaning, and a your best option is to utilize the NCS Conservation or PCGS Restoration services.

One instance a coin must be cleaned is when PVC contamination occurs. This forms as green residue on a coin’s surface from PVC off-gassing. It will not stop spreading until the coin is cleaned destroyed, even if it’s removed from the offending holder.

PVC damage does not stop there. If the contaminated coin is stored with other coins, they can supply feed material for the PCV contamination to spread like a virus.

TLDR

Yes, cleaning your coin can strip it of its value.

A toned coin tells a story and takes you on a journey through history.

Don’t erase your coin’s story.