Grading: Cleaned (1846 Sovereign)

[thanosgr]

I was searching for a Sovereign to buy, and I found one that was rated as cleaned.

I have not heard of that ever again, but as i show "Among the most common reasons for a coin to receive Details Grading is unskilled and improper cleaning."

I wanted to know how bad (or not?) this grading is for such a coin and how much could limit its price.

Below you can also see some photos if that helps

 

[dicker]

So - I  have seen graded Sovs when it (cleaning) was not visible to the naked eye, through to coins that have been polished or aggressively cleaned.  

I suspect I have seen one or two cleaned Shields, but they are good enough for me.

@GoldDiggerDave May be able to offer a more informed opinion

 

[Arganto]

The biggest issue I have with this is how they discern that a coin has in fact been cleaned. Don't get me wrong, if it stinks of pledge and shines like the midday sun in August then yeah, okay, but if a loupe shows up some whorling in the fields potentially done many years prior to inspection how can they be sure that was a cleaning attempt and not wear through use? 

🌞

[Silverlocks]

On 22/09/2023 at 19:52, dicker said:

So - I  have seen graded Sovs when it (cleaning) was not visible to the naked eye, through to coins that have been polished or aggressively cleaned.  

I suspect I have seen one or two cleaned Shields, but they are good enough for me.

@GoldDiggerDave May be able to offer a more informed opinion

 

I've got a few Victorian sovs that have definitely been polished - if the original finish is worn off, then sometimes it's not obvious if the sov has wear after being polished.  It will show up better on photos, though.  Mostly they still look fine to the naked eye and I'm less stressed about these as they're in grades where you wouldn't bother to get them slabbed.

1880S not polished

1884M, probably polished but worn

1883M where you can see polished fields.

 

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Silverlocks

[Ignorant]

15 hours ago, Arganto said:

The biggest issue I have with this is how they discern that a coin has in fact been cleaned. Don't get me wrong, if it stinks of pledge and shines like the midday sun in August then yeah, okay, but if a loupe shows up some whorling in the fields potentially done many years prior to inspection how can they be sure that was a cleaning attempt and not wear through use? 

🌞

The trick to exposing hairline scratches is to view a coin from a tilted angle while exposing it to a bright source of light. Hairline scratches which arise from cleaning most often run parallel to one another. Vertical or horizontal as a result of coins being rubbed via a back and forth motion; whereas swirls arise from rubbing via a swirling motion. Scratches which arise due to wear are erratic and show no discerning pattern. Coins cleaned with corrosive chemicals often show pitting.

The image bellow shows a coin that was cleaned via a vertical back and forth rubbing motion. I gave the scoundrel dealer I bought it from who listed it as uncirculated and didn’t disclose the coin had been cleaned a well deserved one star review on every review site I could think of.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Ignorant