How Do You Ancients Get The Dirt Off?

i use distilled water week long soaks+ needle with weekly picking seesions + dap of dish soap...warning, needle more risky than toothpick. I agree with GG, pics would be helpful.

I had a couple Indian Head cents from the ground that I soaked in distilled water. Do not use tap water.

I dropped one in olive oil and it helped a bit, after it was cleaned with distilled water. You might have to leave it in there for a few weeks. Most people say not to clean modern coins.

EDIT:

WOAH HEY STOP THAT thats a valuable coin you've got there! 1873 and it look like it could be the doubled liberty variety. Thats a very expensive piece! Stop doing what you're doing!

If it is then at VF (without all the silliness and smashed up cleaned stuff) then it is listed as a $1200 coin. Corrosion will drop it but it could be pretty highly graded - a few hundred bucks perhaps. If it is the variety. You'd probably do better on the classic error and variety forum.

DO NOT SOAK IT IN OLIVE OIL! Olive oil is acidic and will permeate the surface and make treatment of bronze disease almost impossible.
Clean the surface dirt lightly with a brass brush to see if it is surface corrosion or bronze disease.
If you don't want to brush with a brass brush then soak in DI water for a few days then use a toothbrush and some dish detergent then rinse with DI. You can get deionized water at Walmart in the baby section where it's sold as nursery water in the baby section. Usually runs about a buck and change for a gallon. It's distilled water without additives.
You want to stabilize the patina first then diagnose the problems it has and treat them. Usually leaching out the underling cause of the corrosion will usually cease further oxidation. Chemical means of stopping oxidation are usually harder than mechanical removal of the oxidation and lead to their own problems.

rub those green spots with your fingernail...if a powdery substance comes off, treat gently for bronze disease.

Yeah, it is off to NCS as soon as I wake up. I figured I'd give it a shot, but think this is best for someone else. Thanks for the feedback, and I'll post after pics.

Cheers, CC.