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 Replies: 77 / Views: 7,016 |
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Valued Member
Canada
478 Posts |
There are lots of products out there to clean silver and copper coins...what are your thoughts on this. Is there a good, safe way to clean coins?
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Valued Member
Canada
287 Posts |
The general consensus is to never clean coins, but there are certainly exceptions. 99% of the time though, you're better off not touching them.
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Valued Member
Canada
99 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1700 Posts |
What I basically did was trying these ingredients on junk/scrap coins to see what would happen.
Non of these ingredients turned out to last more than a month.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1192 Posts |
Cleaning won't make the coins better, but it sure can make them a lot worse!
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
36575 Posts |
Do not clean is the general rule. The exception would be coins with PVC build up that will lead to damage. To keep them from getting worse use Acetone to remove the green slime.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
965 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
548 Posts |
My general rule of thumb is to never clean coins unless it is necessary to see a date, and then I just use some soap and warm water and maybe a child's toothbrush for some gentle scrubbing. In such cases you rarely have anything to lose.
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Valued Member
Canada
161 Posts |
I don't know why senior collectors always say no to coin cleaning. I understood any scratch or polish would reduce the coin's quality, but if there is some way, such as ultrasonic cleaner, can clean the coin without any damage to the metal, not leaving any mark, still does it degrade the coin? Or let me ask like this, when the certification institutions see a coin, will they simply give a coin a low grade just because the color of coin doesn't match the year (for example, a old penny with fresh copper color), so they declare the coin is cleaned?
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1700 Posts |
Wandering,
I am interested. The question is: does the ultrasonic cleaning process require water?
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1700 Posts |
Anything cleaned with water doesn't last long, according to my experiments from the past.
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Valued Member
Canada
161 Posts |
Yes, I think the ultrasonic cleaner requires water, although I don't have one. As a new coin, a cleaned coin definitely will get toned if exposed in air, but the dirt deposit doesn't come back without touching it. Do you have the experience that the cleaned coins get toned easier than new coins?
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
937 Posts |
Myself, I only gently wipe down my lesser-grade coins, no chemicals or product of any type at all, using only a clean t-shirt or a clean well-used toothbrush. My silver stays toned, my copper stays brown. IMO a 60-year old coin should look like a 60-year old coin (in MS shape shape if possible, of course!).
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1700 Posts |
The toning of cleaned coins appear very unatural compared to coins not cleaned.
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Valued Member
Canada
470 Posts |
distilled water either hot or room temperature is the ONLY way to PROPERLY remove dirt,dust and other particals before applying a final sealer.
Verdigris,staining and general corrosion are PROBLEM COINS and only if valuable, need experienced insurable professional restoration.
distilled water,absolutely no detergent/soap.
My professional opinion.
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Valued Member
 Canada
478 Posts |
 Applying a sealer? |
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Replies: 77 / Views: 7,016 |
Posted 03/01/2013 10:48 am
