If you are buying a coin that’s already on the market as a fully attributed coin then yeah you don’t want to clean it. I buy coins that are “fresh” out of the ground so they’re literally caked with mud. They look like this so they require cleaning. Properly cleaning 2000 yr old coins is a months long process involving microscope and very deliberate & precise application of effort. For some reason I find it very relaxing, almost like a form of meditation. It’s a hobby that I’d love to share the results and talk about with others.

Shameless plug: You can see some of my Before/After pictures over at !ancientcoincleaning@lemmy.world :-)

Yeah, I like tech too but also enjoy cleaning ancient coins. It’ll be nice if someone else found my community and it would pick up. I’m trying to post ever so often so anyone that stumbles on it will know I’m still around