Coin Cleaning: Koinsolv Vs Verdi-Care

I might try Koinsolv if it was in a smaller container and didnt cost so much to experiment with. I have some really nasty indians that are worthless that I wouldnt mind playing with.

Might be worth buying both products, and examining them with liquid phase chromatography to separate the components, and examining each of those.

I've no empirical data regarding Koinsolv, nor any idea of its' chemical composition. I have heard (relatively) favorable opinions regarding its' use here and there on the 'Net.

I know for a fact that Verdi-Care was developed by a career working chemist who is also a fanatical copper collector, because that person is a member here and the development pretty much played out in real time on this forum.

I know which product I'd buy if it came to needing it.

There is the possibility of fake cleaning products that are simply do not do the job, or are in fact developed for similar, but not the same purpose as cleaning coins, and may even be dangerous to the delicate patination of valuable coins.

Experimentation on numismatically valueless coins with some of these products in varying concentrations is sometimes worth a shot. The most often achieved result is:
"CLEANED" (= less value).

Still, there many ancient coin fans who have fun with small batches of uncleaned coins, which would otherwise be unidentifiable. Verdigris is always a vexatious problem, and has to be removed, even if it has caused pitting on the surface of an ancient coin. Even with this type of severe damage, very few ancient coins are completely written off.

Different coins require different treatment.

"Don't clean coins!" is still the best advice for modern coins.

I don't have any intentions of doing anything with what I find in them. Just curious about HOW my copper / bronze coins will benefit. My friend is a materials forensic scientist. He knows about intellectual property. He has to, part of his professional ethics.

As they say in Australia: "No worries mate!"

Maybe you can give us some free samples to try. : )

Hi,

I have tried neither product and am a strong proponent of never cleaning coins.

In certain extreme situations, however, the temptation to 'clean' a coin has eventually allured me to indulge into this tainted practice.

Being a chemist myself it would be great if someone could technically explain that neither product actually changes the original surface of the coin but instead only removes(or chemically alters) the undesirable surface contamination.

It is unreasonable to expect that any restorative chemical compound is going to 'repair' the intrinsic surface damage caused by verdigris, for example.

In summary, if any product can actually remove the damaging junk only and consequently restore the coin, I would use it.

mdpmedia

Koinsolv is a "cleaner" in the sense that it is an organic solvent that dissolves away oils, grease, PVC residue etc in the same fashion that acetone does and with about the same results at about five times the cost.

Verdi-Care is NOT a cleaner. It is a chemical treatment designed to dissolve away verdigris without attacking the metal of the coin itself or the natural toning layers. It seems to do OK for coins with light traces of verdigris, but I feel that coins with heavier deposits are less effectively treated and when treated long enough to actually make a dent in those deposits I think it does affect the color. And of course if the deposits are heave their removal exposes the corroded surfaces which are also not eye appealing. In short Verdi-Care seems to work, but I'm not sure the results are worth the expense except for possible on a lightly damaged key date copper.

One problem trying to judge as to whether or not it works is because many collectors call any green deposits on copper verdigris, when much of it is simply old dirt and skin oils that would respond well to a simple acetone soak or sometime even just warm or hot distilled water.