Cleaning Coins - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,249
Ezhno New Member United States 2 Posts	Posted 02/13/2013 2:56 pm Hi, I've collected coins and bills for so many years now but I've always wondered about cleaning. Most of the information I've found is thoroughly against cleaning any coin of any kind. Outside of removing dirt, is it ever a good idea to clean any coins at all? Report this Post to the Staff

Jupke Valued Member Belgium 83 Posts	Posted 02/13/2013 3:51 pm The patina/luster on a coin is actually one of the things that influences the value of the coin. when you clean your coins (except from removing the dirt), you will affect the patina/luster of the coin and the value will drop... Report this Post to the Staff
plonker Valued Member United States 462 Posts	Posted 02/13/2013 7:19 pm Please search the main coin forum here for cleaning or acetone and you will find a ton of good information. In short most of the members here consider using Acetone is not really a cleaning but preservation of the coin. It does not affect the luster and patina. Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16862 Posts	Posted 02/13/2013 11:39 pm As a general rule, cleaning coins is bad. And, as a general rule, non-collectors and new collectors don't yet know the difference between "dirt" that can and should be gently rinsed off, and "patina" that should be kept on the coin. Which is why the advice to non-collectors and new collectors is always "Don't clean coins!". There are some exceptions, however. Non-gold coins dug up out of the ground, especially ancient and mediaeval ones, are going to need harsher cleaning than a simple "washing off the dirt". After 2000 years, ancient bronze coins buried in the ground have begun to turn back into the copper ore from whence they originally came, and tend to resemble little green rocks rather than coins. It takes patience and an expert hand to make these "uncleaned ancient coins" look like coins again. Coins with paint, varnish, wax or other "foreign substances" stuck to them can be treated with solvents such as acetone to remove the foreign contaminant. Coins stored in cheap 'n' nasty plastic coin albums can develop "green goo" caused by the plastic degrading; this goo is acidic and will continue to slowly eat into the coin; it should be removed (also with acetone) to prevent further damage. Nobody can stop old soldiers from polishing up their war medals, so we've given up trying. War medals can be polished without affecting value. 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
swamperbob Pillar of the Community United States 5362 Posts	Posted 02/14/2013 10:51 pm When I went to the shop yesterday a collection had come in which was owned by an old woman. The coins had belonged to her late husband. Not too many but some nice type coins going back to the late 1800s. All US coins no gold. They were all high grades (we guess MS)- but fairly common dates. It included some of the Seated Liberty series. But before bringing them in she wanted to polish them to improve their value because they were all dark and you couldn't see the details. So she got out the silver polish and really brightened them up. She must have spent a long time doing it based on the appearance. Central details in some cases were polished OFF. The collection was purchased at melt or face and most are so badly damaged that they are not worth saving. It was pathetic and a terrible waste. Report this Post to the Staff
sel_69l Bedrock of the Community Australia 21788 Posts	Posted 02/15/2013 06:49 am Sap has said it all, from all aspects. Report this Post to the Staff
Ezhno New Member United States 2 Posts	Posted 02/15/2013 08:24 am Thanks, this is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,249

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