Used to clean every coin I dug, now I just brush dirt off and leave them be

Honestly, I got into detecting about 4 years ago and my first instinct was to make every coin shine like new. I'd soak them in distilled water, use a soft toothbrush, even tried toothpicks on some crusty coppers. Last spring I pulled a 1920s wheat penny from a park in Fresno and scrubbed it so hard I rubbed off almost all the detail. Another detectorist at the flea market saw it and told me I'd basically killed the value and the history. That stung, ngl. Now I only rinse with plain water, let them air dry, and keep them in those 2x2 holders exactly as they come out of the ground. Patina tells a story and I'd rather keep that than have a shiny blank disc. Has anyone else switched to minimal cleaning, or do you still go all out on certain coins?

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troy4392d ago

Did you ever see that YouTube video of a guy tumbling a 1798 large cent? Dude turned a $300 coin into a $20 piece of junk. I did the same stupid thing with a shield nickel back in '21, scrubbed the date right off. Now I just blow the dirt off and call it a day, honestly the crusty ones look cooler anyway.