Cleaning Coins With Acetone. - Page 5

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Author	Replies: 73 / Views: 47,012	Page: of 5

Spence Moderator United States 34397 Posts	Posted 08/18/2018 2:25 pm Quote: Anyone ever try MEK? Yes, but at a previous job. I would never use anything so strong on coins. Just my Two Cents... "If you climb a good tree, you get a push." -----Ghanaian proverb "The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed." -----King Adz Report this Post to the Staff
MeowtheKitty Valued Member 353 Posts	Posted 08/18/2018 3:47 pm It was just a thought, as it was one of the most powerful solvents that was available publicly. The MSD sheet makes it sound dangerous. It might even have a line saying, "Kills Cats Instantly". Maybe Meow should not let curiosity rule this Cats life so much. Report this Post to the Staff
Villa Rose Valued Member United States 68 Posts	Posted 01/13/2019 11:15 am I pulled these out of my pocket change (which I keep in my pocket) and soaked them in water overnight. Would any of them benefit from an acetone soak? Or any other "legitimate" cleaning technique? I'm not talking about whizzing, polishing or anything like that. By the way, I know these coins are virtually worthless. Well, I guess they're each worth one cent. That's why I'm experimenting with them. If I ruin them, so what? I've included one group shot and a couple of close-ups. The close-up that shows the reverse is the 1997-D. Report this Post to the Staff
llewellin Pillar of the Community United States 1005 Posts	Posted 01/13/2019 12:04 pm Good to see you back here. If I were to try, I would first soak those in distilled water to get off salts/acids and such, then perhaps try some verdicare to see if it helps the corrosion. Would not expect acetone to make much of a difference for those. Report this Post to the Staff
llewellin Pillar of the Community United States 1005 Posts	Posted 01/13/2019 12:14 pm Quote: I think the moderators should pin this as a sticky topic. It's a very important one, in my opinion, as there's so much good and valuable information given on this thread. I agree this is very important to inform people. I have seen an alarming number of recent posts recommending harsh cleaning or chemicals that would likely result in damaging the coin, so I think we really do need to be better at giving prudent advice to novices here. When in doubt, leave coins alone and I really don't think that can be stressed enough. That being said, there is some misinformation on this topic that I'd like to point out: Quote: Acetone(and apparently MEK) is for organic substances, and Xylene base is for non-organic gunk on coins. One is an acid base the other alkaline. ... If MEK is advertised as a stronger substitute for acetone, more damage than acetone may occur... stick with the known factor, acetone. Acetone, MEK, and xylene are solvents for organic substances, in increasing order of non polarity; among them xylene will be best at removing oils and acetone will be worst, but all will be safe for coin surfaces in principle. Describing them as acids or bases is complete nonsense, as is describing any of them as categorically stronger/safer solvents. Depending on what you want to remove will determine your best treatment protocol. Acetone is the best all-rounder solvent commonly available and relatively safe to human health which is why it is universally recommended here. Report this Post to the Staff
numisnut1960 Valued Member Canada 57 Posts	Posted 07/20/2021 8:11 pm Hi everyone. I've read this whole thread. Very informative. However I'm still not sure about cleaning tarnished silver coins. Is it acceptable to use lemon and salt solution to soak them in? Or something else? I have some old nclt stuff that I'd like to make shiny again. Just for fun. Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16816 Posts	Posted 07/20/2021 9:41 pm Removing "tarnish" from silver coins is generally considered "bad cleaning". We don't even call it "tarnish", unless it looks really ugly, we call it "toning" instead. Silver coin "dips" such as the acid-and-salt method remove the toning/tarnish by dissolving the silver sulfide off the surface of the coin. As such the process removes part of the silver from the coin itself - as opposed to acetone etc which remove non-metallic surface contaminants only. They're your coins, and you can legally do with them whatever you wish, short of physically destroying them (which is still illegal in Canada). If you personally like the look of "nice shiny coins" rather than "tarnished coins", then go right ahead and dip them. Just be aware that most coin collectors don't like the look of over-dipped coins, and therefore most coin dealers don't like them either. Dipping is highly likely to remove any collector premium such coins might carry, turning them into bullion pieces. If the coins in question are so common they are traded at bullion rates anyway, then no harm, no foul. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
Eagle_Eye Valued Member United States 55 Posts	Posted 08/01/2021 10:43 am I learned quite a bit from this post and the replies. Thank you all. EE Report this Post to the Staff
OldSilverDollar New Member United States 27 Posts	Posted 09/16/2021 7:34 pm It has helped me avoid several mistakes that would have ruined some nice old coins down the drain. This is the most helpful conversation regarding the subject online I just want to thank everyone for the advice shared here. Report this Post to the Staff
OklaNumist New Member United States 30 Posts	Posted 10/13/2025 12:27 pm Reviving old thread I got BadThads polarity ladder for cleaning, great info. At what composition percentage would a chemical be unsafe to a coin? For example: MEK is bad for Copper, so would any coin containing Cu be at risk? Or a coin with 2.5% Cu be ok since its an alloy instead of clad. FYI: Even a silver coin has 0.07% Cu. Here are some coin compositions: Alloy 75%Cu - 25% Ni Alloy 88.5% Cu - 6% Zn - 3.5% Mn - 2% Ni Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Alloy 91.67% Au - 3% Ag - 5.33% Cu Alloy 97.5% Zn - 2.5% Cu Clad 40% Ag - 60% Cu Clad 75% Cu - 25% Ni Clad 80% Ag - 20% Cu Clad 91.67% Cu - 8.33% Ni Solid 99% Fe Alloy 99.93% Ag - 0.07% Cu Solid 99.95% Pd Solid 99.95% Pt Solid 99.99% Au Alloy 95% Cu - 5% Tin/Zinc Edited by OklaNumist 10/13/2025 1:09 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Dearborn Moderator United States 95443 Posts	Posted 10/13/2025 9:14 pm Can you corelate these values to the coins they belong to? For example what coin has a cladding of copper (91.67) and nickel (8.33) Also for example - what would MEK do to the core of a Clad Kennedy half dollar that has 75% Cu - 25% Ni cladding, but the core is 100% Cu. Collecting since 1972. Learning from then on "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." - Benjamin Franklin 7070 type set coin count: 51/76 Uncirculated American Silver Eagles My American Silver Eagle Proof Collection Sacagawea Dollars Innovation Dollars Eisenhower-Dollars Kennedy-Half Dollars Washington-Quarters Roosevelt-Dimes Buffalo-Nickels 1938-2005 Jefferson-Nickels Lincoln-Cents Report this Post to the Staff
OklaNumist New Member United States 30 Posts	Posted 10/14/2025 8:04 pm To me, it looks like coins that are clad are not totally incapsulated with the clad so the chemical can come with in direct contact with the core, also if the clad is porous or has micro holes, the chemical can permeate the clad. Just observation, I very well could be totally wrong. These are just coin types in my collection, most likely not an all-inclusive list. Canada, Dime - Bluenose under sail (1937 - 1966, 1968 - present) Solid 100% Ni Canada, Nickle - The Beaver (1937 - 1942, 1946 - 1950, 1952 - 1966, 1968 - present) Solid 100% Ni Canada, Quarter - The Caribou (1937 - 1972, 1974 - 1991, 1993 - 1998, 2001-2008 and 2001-present) Solid 100% Ni Eisenhower dollar - Clad (1971 - 1978) Clad 91.67% Cu - 8.33% Ni Mercury dime - Winged Liberty Silver (1916 - 1945) Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Roosevelt dime - Silver (1946 - 1964) Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Susan B Anthony - Clad (1979 - 1981, 1999) Clad 91.67% Cu - 8.33% Ni Canada, Quarter - The Caribou (1937 - 1972, 1974 - 1991, 1993 - 1998, 2001-2008 and 2001-present) Clad 80% Ag - 20% Cu Roosevelt dime - Silver (1946 - 1964) Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Indian Head cent - Bronze (1864 - 1909) Alloy 95% Cu - 5% Tin/Zinc Morgan dollars - Early Silver (1878 - 1921) Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Barber quarter - Early Silver (1892 - 1916) Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Peace dollar - Early Silver (1921 - 1935) Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Standing Liberty - Type 2 (1917 - 1930) Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Ireland, 10 Pence (1969 - 1986) Clad 75% Cu - 25% Ni Washington quarters - Bicentennial Design (1976) Clad 91.67% Cu - 8.33% Ni Washington quarters - Silver (1932 - 1964) Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Franklin half dollar - Liberty Bell (1948 - 1963) Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Ireland, 1 Pingin (1940 - 1968) Alloy 95.5% Cu, 3% Sn, 1.5% Zn Native American & Sacagawea dollars - Golden Dollar (2000 - 2008) Alloy 88.5% Cu - 6% Zn - 3.5% Mn - 2% Ni Presidential dollars - (2009 - Present) Alloy 88.5% Cu - 6% Zn - 3.5% Mn - 2% Ni Buffalo nickels - Line Type (1913 - 1938) Alloy 75%Cu - 25% Ni Jefferson nickel - Pre-War (1938 - 2003) Clad 75% Cu - 25% Ni Kennedy half dollar - Silver (1964) Alloy 90% Ag - 10% Cu Kennedy half dollar - 40% Silver (1965 - 1970) Clad 40% Ag - 60% Cu Kennedy half dollar - Clad (1971 - Present) Clad 91.67% Cu - 8.33% Ni Kennedy half dollar - Bicentennial Design (1976) Clad 91.67% Cu - 8.33% Ni Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16816 Posts	Posted 10/14/2025 9:35 pm To the best of my knowledge, MEK does not actually react with or damage copper; rather, it's the other way around - prolonged exposure to copper will damage and degrade your MEK. Copper is listed in the MSDS as being "incompatible" with MEK because over prolonged exposure (we're talking weeks or months), copper can catalyse MEK into MEK peroxide - which is not something you want to happen to your bottle of MEK, since MEK peroxide is a shock-sensitive explosive (as most organic peroxides are). MEK should be just as safe as acetone to use on coins - given that either a MEK soak or acetone soak should be over in a few seconds, or a few minutes at most. If the goo doesn't dissolve after 10 minutes soaking in acetone (or MEK), then further soaking isn't going to help. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
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