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 Replies: 24 / Views: 3,125 |
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Valued Member
United States
107 Posts |
My Uncle collects coins and his practice is to clean every one of them with toothpaste before storing them in his safe.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
My Uncle collects coins and his practice is to clean every one of them with toothpaste before storing them in his safe.
FroDaddy: It may sound funny but I'll bet not one single coin of his has tooth decay.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
janknez: What you may not know is why so many coins are termed old cleaning. Try to remember that way, way back there was not such a thing as the Red Book, no coin books, this forum, no coin forums at all, no internet, no coin shows, etc. In fact there was a time when we didn't have TV or a refridgerator. Way back we used to collect coins and the shinnier they were, the better. If you had a Whitman folder with dirty coins, all that people would say is your coins are dirty, why don't you clean them. So we did. Every kid I knew that collected coins cleaned them with anything that would make them shine. Dates and mint marks were not important since they really didn't mean anything. So if that guy cleaned those coins, don't get mad at him, he just did what millions have done for a long, long time. If you ever seen what we did with coins when we were kids back inthe early 40's, you would probably have had us arrested. |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
595 Posts |
I've dipped a few coins in my time too, Carl. And I'm not mad at him. I think my disappointment really stems from the simple fact that somebody with very little numismatic knowledge has a complete set of Morgans and I don't.  Jan |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
Just Carl is right. In fact if you find any of the old early coin boards from back in te thirties you will find that many of them recommend cleaning your coins with an eraser before putting them in the board, and for copper coins, vinegar and salt (an acid and an abrasive) are often recommended.
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New Member
United States
49 Posts |
So that raises a question. I take it from this thread that one should not "polish" a Morgan dollar. but what if you have a States Quarters collection, and wanna de-gunk one of the quarters? What is the best acceptable way to clean a coin (any coin)? |
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Valued Member
United States
159 Posts |
The worst part is he can sell those polished Morgans as "super attenuated gems" on ebay and make a ton off the unsuspecting. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
So that raises a question. I take it from this thread that one should not "polish" a Morgan dollar. but what if you have a States Quarters collection, and wanna de-gunk one of the quarters? What is the best acceptable way to clean a coin (any coin)? With the State Quarters, clean them anyway you want. Unless they are at least MS-83.639, they are basically a Quarter. First look at the amount minted. If in the hundreds of millions, don't worry about them. They will always be worth a quarter. Just don't let anyone tell you $0.24 each. Myself, if gunky looking, just try baking soda/water solution and slightly rub. I've got one now that is all black soaking in Lemon Juice but no sign of getting better yet. Battery acid is my next test. As you can see I'm not a big collector of the State Quarters. I do save them, but not to seriously. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2269 Posts |
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Replies: 24 / Views: 3,125 |
First Page
Posted 09/22/2007 11:12 am
