Questions about coins and currency? Have them answered by Marc Rosner, a true numismatist! [NOTE: Due to the exploding craze in errors and many related misleading postings on the Internet, we respectfully ask that before you inquire about modern varieties, you kindly read through our existing Q & A's, to rule out the kind of damage or wear we have already addressed.]
Dear Michael,
That's like asking a dentist the safe way to fill your own cavity. Odds are an untrained person will do irreversible damage. If the "green" corrosion is very light it may be salvageable. If it's a valuable piece. I offer conservation services that may be worth it. To illustrate: I was doing an appraisal for a lawyer in Bronxville who purchased a commercial coin product over the Internet to clean an uncirculated 1884-S Morgan Dollar, which had a value of $7,000. His efforts remov...
Dear Arnold,
Here is my honest opinion, borne out of experience. As much as I love coins and bullion, I would not advise you to "stack" silver or other precious metals for a number of reasons. Silver and gold are not great long term investments, unless you happen to time things right. They don't go perpetually up, they wander with the economy, peak once a generation, and drift back down. They don't pay a dividend, you can't eat them, and there is plenty in the Earth's crust and in private an...
I usually keep such notes for my own collection. I have a nice Ballston Spa note for $250, small size; and some more common ones from New York City. You should read about obsolete currency, and check out the auction archives of Heritage Currency for local banks.
Eughan, your situation is more common than you may realize and one of our specialties. Check EVERYWHERE, every file folder could contain currency, the attic floorboards could be covering silver and gold. My mother found diamonds in my grandmother's condo, they were inside a shirt that was sealed in the original Macy's package like new. I can also come do a site visit and help you search. I have a metal detector to boot, one of my clients had several jars buried in the yard, each with a hundred o...
The short answer is yes. Unless you are trained to do it, cleaning a coin will remove the oxidation, or "toning," and render it much lower in value. Once that's done, trying to fix it will only make things worse. A qualified numismatist may know how to clean off dirt and grease and restore a coin to its original beauty; but like a fine piece of art, that coin must be handled skillfully.