# Should I polish old silver dollars before selling them?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 5, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296 "2010-08-05T17:26:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/1 "2010-08-05T17:26:08Z")
I’ve got some old U.S. silver dollars (1880s) that I am planning to sell. Should I polish them with silver polish or should I just leave them alone. I know ancient Roman coins are more valuable with the patina left on, but I don’t know about 19th century U.S. coins.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/2 "2010-08-05T17:31:00Z")
I’m not a coin collector or antiquarian, nor any sort of expert in the field. But when in doubt, my inclination would be to leave the coins as-is - store them in a cool, dry place and leave them be. Not only because I wouldn’t be sure if cleaning them would increase their value, but because I’d be concerned that improper cleaning might damage them.
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### Author:  [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/3 "2010-08-05T17:46:13Z")
NOOOOOOO! Absolutely not! You WILL devalue them.
Joe
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### Author:  [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/4 "2010-08-05T18:26:45Z")
Do not polish them!
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### Author:  [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/5 "2010-08-05T18:28:35Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#):
>
> NOOOOOOO! Absolutely not! You WILL devalue them.
>
> Joe
Seconded but with a query. I’ve heard this advice many times and I accept it as true, but it seems counter-intuitive to my way of thinking. _WHY_ is this true?
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### Author:  [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/6 "2010-08-05T19:02:47Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#):
>
> Seconded but with a query. I’ve heard this advice many times and I accept it as true, but it seems counter-intuitive to my way of thinking. _WHY_ is this true?
I think it’s true of virtually any collectible… people generally prefer anything to be as “original” as possible.
For coins the original reason was because you’ll almost certainly do some amount of damage to the surface of the coin. But now it’s just one of the arbitrary rules that any hobby has… even if you were to manage to avoid causing any damage at all nobody would pay full price because “everyone knows that polished coins are worth less.”
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/7 "2010-08-05T19:11:44Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#):
>
> > [@wheresgeorge04](#):
> >
> > NOOOOOOO! Absolutely not! You WILL devalue them.
> >
> > Joe
>
> Seconded but with a query. I’ve heard this advice many times and I accept it as true, but it seems counter-intuitive to my way of thinking. _WHY_ is this true?
Patina sells, particularly for “rainbow” discoloration on coins. Polishing (or even cleaning) coins makes it look like you’re trying to pass the coin off as a better grade than it is. Also, most polishes will scratch silver or gold, which devalues its grade. Old, encrusted Roman coins and the like are usually soaked in a water/Calgon solution to remove encrustation.
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### Author:  [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/8 "2010-08-05T19:13:32Z")
> [@Chefguy](#):
>
> Old, encrusted Roman coins and the like are usually soaked in a water/Calgon solution to remove encrustation.
Ancient Chinese secret, eh?
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### Author:  [@qpw3141](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qpw3141)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/9 "2010-08-05T19:13:56Z")
> [@cckerberos](#):
>
> > [@Alpha\_Twit](#):
> >
> > Seconded but with a query. I’ve heard this advice many times and I accept it as true, but it seems counter-intuitive to my way of thinking. _WHY_ is this true?
>
> I think it’s true of virtually any collectible… people generally prefer anything to be as “original” as possible.
>
> For coins the original reason was because you’ll almost certainly do some amount of damage to the surface of the coin. But now it’s just one of the arbitrary rules that any hobby has… even if you were to manage to avoid causing any damage at all nobody would pay full price because “everyone knows that polished coins are worth less.”
This is undoubtedly true but there is a very logical reason as well.
Some people may prefer their coins cleaned and polished and some may prefer them with patina. If you are going to sell some, cleaning and polishing them clearly restricts the market to the first group.
People certainly do clean coins, though, because I have seen the equipment and chemicals to do so in a numismatic catalogue that I sometimes see as it is printed together with a philatelic catalogue I receive.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/10 "2010-08-05T19:22:08Z")
Also because you (plural, generic you) ae obviously a total amateur. Professionals hate it when amateurs mess with their toys. Usually for the very good reason that amateurs destroy them with ignorance.
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/11 "2010-08-05T19:23:18Z")
> [@qpw3141](#):
>
> People certainly do clean coins, though, because I have seen the equipment and chemicals to do so in a numismatic catalogue that I sometimes see as it is printed together with a philatelic catalogue I receive.
There’s a huge difference between polishing and cleaning. Polishing means using abrasives to remove a thin layer of material and leave the surface smoother than before. Obviously undesirable for any antiques and artifacts. “Cleaning” can mean removing any contaminants that have accumulated on the surface; this can be done without damaging the original material, if done properly.
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### Author:  [@notsoheavyd3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notsoheavyd3)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/12 "2010-08-05T19:36:43Z")
> [@scr4](#):
>
> > [@qpw3141](#):
> >
> > People certainly do clean coins, though, because I have seen the equipment and chemicals to do so in a numismatic catalogue that I sometimes see as it is printed together with a philatelic catalogue I receive.
>
> There’s a huge difference between polishing and cleaning. Polishing means using abrasives to remove a thin layer of material and leave the surface smoother than before. Obviously undesirable for any antiques and artifacts. “Cleaning” can mean removing any contaminants that have accumulated on the surface; this can be done without damaging the original material, if done properly.
You mean like that trick where you use aluminum foil and a solution of baking soda to convert the tarnish back to silver?
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### Author:  [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/13 "2010-08-05T19:41:49Z")
My source is _Pawn Stars_ on the History Channel, so discount as you deem appropriate, but they almost always say not to clean something like that up before trying to sell it.
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### Author:  [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/14 "2010-08-05T19:49:16Z")
My grandparents owned a coin shop and so I had this drilled into me from a very young age:
NEVER clean a coin! If you feel that you must clean a coin, use a dry cotton cloth and absolutely nothing else. No polish, no soap, not even water. If the dry cloth can’t get the “dirt” off, then it’s meant to be there.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/15 "2010-08-05T21:56:23Z")
The patina is part of the surface of the coin. Well, actually it \*\*\*IS \*\*\*the surface. By removing it you are removing the surface of the coin. How can that be a good thing? Also, if you’re using “silver polish” that you rub on, you’re covering the entire surface with tiny scratches.
And never touch the front or back surface of a coin with your fingers. Always hold it gently by the edges.
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### Author:  [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/16 "2010-08-05T22:46:53Z")
I know this is a hard and fast rule with coin collectors, but really it strikes me as an arbitrary and silly rule. The amount of a coin’s surface removed by a typical polishing is so negligible as to be insignificant to any sane person.
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### Author:  [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/17 "2010-08-05T22:50:49Z")
Isn’t one of the mods a dealer in coins and such? Maybe\*\* Tomndebb\*\*? **Samclem**? Whoever it is can likely provide a definitive response.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/18 "2010-08-05T22:56:51Z")
Surely, even if it is a good thing to clean a coin, the dealer can do so with minimal effort and do a better job than you would.
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### Author:  [@SeaCanary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaCanary)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/19 "2010-08-05T23:00:03Z")
> [@Spoke](#):
>
> I know this is a hard and fast rule with coin collectors, but really it strikes me as an arbitrary and silly rule. The amount of a coin’s surface removed by a typical polishing is so negligible as to be insignificant to any sane person.
If your purpose is to make the coin pretty to you then, by all means, polish it.
But I’m curious. What do you imagine happens _after_ you offer it for sale and the potential buyer says, “This has been polished. If it’d been left in its original state I’d have offered X. Now it’s worth X - Y.”
What’s the next thing that happens?
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2010, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-polish-old-silver-dollars-before-selling-them/549296/20 "2010-08-05T23:00:59Z")
**Samclem** is the dealer. And, to reiterate what’s been said and resaid, most serious collectors – the people who will pay above bullion price, along with dealers selling to them, for rarer coins – will not pay as much for a cleaned coin. Period.
Yes there are exceptions, and someone buying coins as an investment may see things otherwise, but the bottom line is – you may diminish your coin’s saleability value, and are very unlikely to improve it – so why do it? (Other than for personal aesthetic reasons – “I\* like\* having a bright, shiny coin in this frame”, of course.)
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