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 Replies: 10 / Views: 1,699 |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
841 Posts |
 OK so what is classed as cleaning..is giving a coin a rub before you put it in a holder or is it where you actually use a chemical of some description or what  Please help 
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Pillar of the Community
United States
538 Posts |
From what I have learned from other posts on the forum I believe the bad connotation of cleaning would include any sort of rubbing with an abrasive material, which usually leaves marks or scratches on the surface of the coin, or chemical that reacts with the metal of the coin in an attempt to return luster.
So trying to scrub dirt or grime off a coin with a brush is bad along with certain chemical baths. But an acetone dip is okay because acetone only lifts organic residue off the surface of the coin and won't react with the metal. There are other solutions made for this process too but I'm not too familiar with them and perhaps someone else may be able to help.
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Pillar of the Community
 Australia
841 Posts |
Thanks mate, but I didn't mean hard rub. I ment just a very very light rub to get dust off when you get a nice coin out of circulation. I have also read different things about cleaning and olive oil and rubbing lightly so now I'm a little confused..I don't think I'll touch them at all and just put them in 2x2's  |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
7096 Posts |
A gentle clean with warm soapy water and a rinse in distilled water then a pat dry is fine for coins found in circulation and in my opinion is a good idea as coins can carry some particularly nasty stuff on them.  Any other coin ( with the exception of ancients ) "don't Clean" is the best and safest approach |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
541 Posts |
Cleaning is any method that is intended to remove foreign material from the surface of a coin.
It's only a bad thing when it removes the top layer of the coin with it (almost any form of cleaning will do this except for some chemical dips which don't react with the coin's alloy, e.g. acetone on a silver coin)
Edited by wwwww
07/27/2012 06:47 am
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Valued Member
Australia
295 Posts |
Thanks Ausjack for your query. I am also having dilemmas about what to do with some of my coins.
I know it is not acceptable to allow coins to retain verdigris or coin cancer or whatever it is called, but what does one do about this? What treatment crosses the border between conservation and mutilation?
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
4411 Posts |
IMHO it comes down to the coin in question. If the coins not valuable and removing the verd will make it more appealing to you then go for it. As a general rule I dont touch anything worth over $50. Anything less and I figure its my coins and if the grime/dirt/verd is bothering me then its my coin to do what I please with. With copper coins I think olive oil and a very light rub with a cotton bud if fine. It removes the grime and verd and I'm yet to visibly scratch any coins I've tried it on. If a coin has any verd then I just try and stay clear of it in the first place. With circulation finds unless theyre something like a mule or wavy why not gently try liquid soap and water.
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New Member
Australia
17 Posts |
Hey folks,
just don't use the pears "transparent" soap with oz $1 or $2 coins...
it left my coins with a strange green substance that is difficult to remove.
I'm no chemist so I'm unsure what happened... maybe some kind of oil in the soap...
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Pillar of the Community
United States
965 Posts |
thats weird, I soaked an ATB Quarter in softsoap, and it corroded it. (that thing is cupronickel ) |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1040 Posts |
Quote:
know it is not acceptable to allow coins to retain verdigris or coin cancer or whatever it is called, but what does one do about this? What treatment crosses the border between conservation and mutilation? IMO verdigris has to be treated otherwise it will just eat away the coin.I've found a few minutes in an Ultrasonic Cleaner filled with water and a dab of detergent will remove most of the surface stuff leaving a light stain,then a rub with Olive Oil and left in non direct sunlight for a few days to dry,then sealed in a holder.I've read/heard all the horror stories about Olive Oil but I think thats more of being left to soak than a light rub,anyway it works for me on Oz. Pennies & Halves but perhaps I've been lucky. Edited by Basil
07/31/2012 07:51 am
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
4411 Posts |
I agree with you Basil about the oil. If worried about the long term effects of residual oil wouldn't an acetone dip remove all of it anyway.
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Replies: 10 / Views: 1,699 |
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Posted 07/27/2012 02:22 am
