Should You Clean Your Coins Before Selling Them?

Many new to the world of valuable coins may wonder, “Should you clean your coins?” The short answer is no, you should not clean your valuable coins if you care about maintaining their maximum potential value. There are no guaranteed harmless ways to clean you coins, and cleaning them not only causes damage, but also washes away much of the numismatic history that gives rare coins their unique value. 

With any coins that might be rare in your collection, getting an appraisal is always the first step towards making good decisions about what to do with your rare coin collection.

To find out if your coins potentially have value, get a free, zero-pressure coin appraisal with Coinfully today.

In this article, we’ll break down exactly why you shouldn’t clean your coins as a general rule.

If your coins might be worth a significant sum, your best bet is always to leave them in their current condition and have them professionally appraised before you make any decisions about cleaning them.

Let’s talk about why.

Why You Shouldn’t You Clean Your Coins

Cleaning your coins will not restore the original surface, and in most cases, will damage the coins. 

Additionally, the patina and other buildup on old coins can actually be more valuable than having a an older cleaned coin, especially from a historical perspective.

If you have valuable gold or silver coins, sometimes the value is in their precious metal and cleaning your silver or gold coins wouldn’t add to their melt value, and only risks reducing their numismatic premium.

In fact, coin dealers or places like Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) look to see if coins were cleaned before grading coins, as it may work against their grade.

How to Clean Your Coins Safely (You Can’t)

There is no way to safely clean your coins.

No matter what method you try to use, you are almost guaranteed to damage your coins and diminish their value.

Should You Clean Your Coins Before Appraisals? No

If you have any valuable coins, you should stay away from cleaning them before appraisals to make sure your coins do not lose any value.

Some things that can make your coins look dirty (such as patina) can actually add to your coin’s value.

Trying to clean these marks out could harm the value of your coins.

Before cleaning your coins, get an appraisal to see what your coin’s value is and if a cleaning would add to their value in the first place, which it almost universally won’t.

There are three ways you can get appraisals before cleaning your coins: You can send in photos and get an online appraisal by an expert, take your coins to a shop and get an expert appraisal in-person, or you can get an at-home appraisal and have an expert come to your home to appraise your coins.

If you have already cleaned your valuable coins, you can still get an appraisal and see how much it has added or taken away from their worth.

For quick, easy, free, and zero-pressure coin appraisals, reach out to Coinfully today.