Preserving Collectibles column from Feb. 29, 2016, Weekly issue of Coin World:

Ten years ago I surveyed readers asking them what kind of treatments they carried out on their own collections. The response to the survey was overwhelming.

In the end, I received more than 750 responses. This month I would like to revisit the survey and ask for your participation. I would like you to tell me whether, why, and how exactly you would treat a coin, token, or medal.

Please complete and return the following survey. If your answers are longer than the space allotted, feel free to use as many additional pages as necessary. Please be as honest and specific as possible.

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Tell me exactly how you carry out treatments, including what recipes and products you use. All who respond can be assured of complete anonymity.

I appreciate your involvement in this project and look forward to hearing from all of you.

Email your responses to me in care of Paul Gilkes at cwsurvey@coinworld.com.

I will compile the results and report my findings in a later column. Remember, I want to hear from you even if you answer “No” to all of the questions.

1)?Do you clean your coins, tokens or medals?

___?No ___?Yes

If you answered NO, please proceed to question 2. If you answered YES please tell me:

 a)?Q:?What does cleaning mean to you (check all that apply)? 

A: ___?degreasing

___?removing surface dirt

___?removing corrosion/tarnish

___ other (please specify)

b)?Q:?Why do you clean your collection (check all that apply)? 

A: ___?as part of a regular maintenance program

___?in preparation for sale

___?when you notice tarnish

___?other (please specify)

c)?Q:?How do you “clean” your coins? Please include the method you use (e.g., dipping, soaking), the type of coin cleaned (e.g., silver, gold, platinum, copper and copper alloy, zinc, aluminum) and the product/recipe used. 

A:

d)?Q:?Is there a type of coin that you would never clean? If so, tell me why?

A: 

2)?Do you tone or repatinate your coins, tokens or medals?

___?No ___?Yes

If you answered No, please proceed to question 3. If you answered Yes, please tell me:

a)?Q:?Why do you tone or repatinate your coins (check all that apply)?

A: ___?to enhance the appearance

___?to hide small flaws

___?to reinstate a patina that was lost through a cleaning treatment

___?other (please specify)

b)?Q:?How do you carry out this treatment? Please include the method you use, the type of coin toned (e.g., silver, gold, platinum, copper and copper alloy, zinc, aluminum) and the product/recipe used.

A:

c)?Q:?Is there a type of coin that you would never tone? If so, tell me why?

A:

3)?Do you apply surface coatings (e.g., lacquers, anti-corrosion coatings) to your coins, medals or tokens?

___?No ___?Yes

If you answered No, go to the bottom of the survey. If you answered Yes, please tell me:

a)?Q:?Why do you apply a surface coating (check all that apply)?

A: ___?to prevent corrosion

___?to enhance the appearance

___?to reduce the damage from inappropriate handling 

___?other (please specify)

b)?Q:?What coatings do you use? Please include the method you use (e.g., dipping, spraying), the type of coin coated (e.g., silver, gold, platinum, copper and copper alloy (e.g., bronze or brass), zinc, aluminum) and the product/recipe used.

A:

Thank you for completing this survey. Even if you answered every question with No, please let me know by sending in your completed form.