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 Replies: 33 / Views: 13,114 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
717 Posts |
I posted this on someone else's thread which discussed cleaned coins & telling the difference, with no response.Maybe it wasn't the proper location. I'm sure this has been discussed before; if so, show me the links, please. I've heard alot of the negatives re: cleaning coins.I've seen posts regarding cleaning with acetone, Palmolive dishwashing soap & distilled water, lemon juice, tin foil in water with baking soda, different methods for copper/bronze or silver, etc. Is there a definitive way of cleaning coins acceptably? Are there cleaning methods that the top TPGs don't consider "cleaning?" I have mostly Lincoln cents, Indian Head cents, & Mercury dimes. I bought a set of Uncirculated Lincoln cents 1954-2007. Some of the earlier coins had black stains, but they do appear Uncirculated. Some of the Indians have an adhesive on the reverse. Most of the Mercury dimes appear "dirty" with grime. What methods have people used to safely clean copper & silver, but are not considered "cleaning?" |
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Pillar of the Community
Czech Republic
803 Posts |
Hi Dovid,
Most forms of cleaning that do not leave hairlines can be market acceptable and can get past graders. Acetone is one, since it dissolves organic residues from the coins' surface. Mild acidic dips, as well. Although dips also remove a microscopic layer of metal in the process, in turn removing toning (which is a travesty to some collectors).
~Roman
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
"Acceptable" is way too subjective a term for us to ever agree on it. There are many who believe that any cleaning, ever, is unacceptable. I myself tend towards the position Roman described. I consider acetone to be acceptable for use under any circumstances with those metals it's inert towards, but I personally draw the line with using soaps. Soaps tend to be alkaline, and could affect the surface of the coin. Anyways, there are ways to remove the things which soap can help which don't involve the use of chemicals.
My next dip won't be my first, but it's an absolute last-straw treatment and I only use it in extreme circumstances.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
717 Posts |
Thanks, TwoKopeiki & SuperDave.
TwoKopeiki said, "Mild acidic dips." Like a quick lemon juice squirt? Or did you have something else in mind?
SuperDave said, "I consider acetone to be acceptable for use under any circumstances with those metals it's inert towards..."
You left me hanging. And those metals which it's not inert towards would be?
Also said, "Anyways, there are ways to remove the things which soap can help which don't involve the use of chemicals."
You left me hanging. And those methods would be?
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Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Sorry to leave you hanging.  Acetone is completely inert with silver. It will only (possibly) react with copper in the presence of light. I believe it to be inert with gold - that is a reasonable assumption given gold's nonreactive properties. I am unsure about nickel. Now. Dirt on a coin will cheerfully remove itself through a process of soaking the coin in distilled water for a couple days, and then freezing it solid and allowing it to thaw. A couple such cycles will break almost all organic crud from the surface of a coin; anything stronger than that, and you'll be wanting to play with the acetone anyways. Search that term - acetone - on this forum for in-depth discussion of its' proper use. Acidic dips are usually thiourea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ThioureaVarious numismatic-related products are available, most notably E-Zest. I strongly, strongly advise you to become intimately familiar with what it can do before even considering its' use, and even then only on silver (possibly gold). Do not let this stuff near copper, ever. Trust me on this one. Again, consider that many numismatists are totally set against any sort of cleaning, and will consider your coins' values ruined by doing it. On the other hand, as Roman said, some types of cleaning, expertly done, are undetectable. |
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Valued Member
United States
376 Posts |
for the coins "dirty with grime" I would use Olive Oil to clean them. You just put them in a small contaniner and cover it in the oil, change it in a few days when you see that the dirt is loosened and comes off in the oil. It usually only takes a couple of weeks to clean a coin that way. Then rinse it in hot water to remove the oil and you have an un dirty coin.
Madspec
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Forum Mom
United States
5877 Posts |
Acetone is safe with the noble metals - silver, gold, platinum. If used with copper or bronze, the coin must then be rinsed thoroughly with distilled water. Improper rinsing could leave you with an ugly orange cent. All of this aside, I only recommend any type of cleaning when there is corrosion, PVC residue, or the adhesive residue that you are describing. In your situation, since the adhesive is on your Indians, I'd recommend soaking them in extra virgin olive oil and then rinsing them in warm, distilled water. Olive oil will not damage the coin. Because of the possible ill effects from acetone, I would only use that on copper coins as a last resort. If the Mercury dimes just appear dirty, I would not do anything to them. Bright, shiny coins with wear on them are considered by most to be unsightly and you will decrease the value of them. Natural toning, while not appealing to some, is overall much better since collectors prefer original surfaces. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Only use concentrated Sulfuric Acid to clean coins. However, if you really want them clean I suggest a Butane Torch. You could boil your coins in Something like Drano also. NOW for real. Do not use anything to attempt to clean coins except possibly Acetone. If you do use it, rinse with distilled water and place on a soft towel and blow dry with a hair dryer. Do not use Acetone in a non ventilated area. Do not use any chemicals that you are not familiar with where the reaction would be possibly harmful. Do NOT use stuff like Olive Oil, Palmolive dish soaps, lemon juice, etc. Any oil will leave a residue that only the Acetone will remove. Even Olive Oils are not consistant in chemical formulae. All dish soap products, lemon or lime juices, baking sodas, etc. are all manufactured with occasional changes in the formulae that are used to produce them. For example a certain dish soap used successfully today may discolor a similar coin tomorrow due to a change in the substance. DO NOT clean coins unless you really have a fettish for pretty, shinny coins. As to the glue on some of your coins. This is usually from being in folders and not albums. Folders are the ones with a back page and push in slots. The glue is from the process of how they are made and many people wet this to help hold in worn coins. The brownish discoloration on any of your Copper coinage is just normal Oxidation and removing it will also remove some of the metal of the coin so best leave well enough alone. I've been experimenting with cleaning coins for well into the 60 year area and after all that I still say DON'T CLEAN COINS. |
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Valued Member
United States
214 Posts |
I use MS70 when a coin has dirt, P.V.C., oil, fog and glue. I only use it on very dirty coins that have not been cleaned in the past, and only coins that would grade AU58 and up.
Sometime when you use these coin "cleaners" it will reveal contact marks that are better left under the toning. So one must be careful and choosy about the coin they submerge or or put chemicals on.
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Valued Member
United States
70 Posts |
I've read this thread and several others about cleaning coins. I never really see anyone mentioning those ultrasonic jewelery cleaners. Is there a reason no one uses them? I had a jeweler clean a ring once and it removed amazing amounts of crud in all the little nooks and crannys. Are they safe with something like distilled water and one coin at a time so you don't beat them together?
I don't plan on cleaning my coins, but I'm just curious why ultrasonics never come up in the discussion.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6384 Posts |
I had an 1859 Indian cent in about F-12 grade. It had what I considered to be plain dirt over the surfaces and lodged around the letters. I put it in a small glass beaker with distilled water and placed the beaker in an ultrasonic bath for about 2 minutes. The coin looked cleaner, all right, but the color was much lighter and the overall look was not an improvement. I would have been better off leaving it alone. I would only use ultrasonic with coins that were both dirty and cheap. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Ultrasonic cleaners do work on cleaning but still remember that some of the stuff that comes off is part of the coin. Jewlry cleaners also work and are based on the same thing, removal of anything. This anything is mostly Oxidation and is now part of the coin so removal will take part of the coin with it. This is one of the big reasons not to clean coins. You actually remove part of the coin.
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Member
United States
3242 Posts |
I do not clean coin!
I am just an old school coin collector!
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2217 Posts |
OK I've been following this for a while - I don't have anything as far as I know like acetone or cooking soda though I do have some tin foil!  I have some Maldivian coins which my parents brought back for me after one of their many sojourns to that area. They are absolutely filthy on one side (each coin has a good and a bad side) and acceptable on the other due to the way they've been stuck, yes glued, to a piece of card in the presentation package that they were sold in. Obviosuly this has ruined them. Detergent didn't do much at all. How about orange juice, as that is mildly acidic? or can anyone recommend anything that is cheap and easy to acquire bearing in mind I don't each much fruit like oranges? Thought I'd put this here to save space on the forums. Just to be clear this is glue that can't be easily removed - a special case for cleaning surely! -Matt Edited by NumisMattyUk
05/12/2007 3:02 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6384 Posts |
Hello NumisMatty,
This sounds like a job for acetone!
If the glue was a solvent-based type like plastic model cement or varnish, acetone should work great. If it was a water-base like Elmer's white glue, it should have come off with detergent and water. If it's a two-part glue like epoxy, you're probably out of luck. That stuff may have to be chipped off using some kind of tool.
I don't think a mildly acidic solution like orange juice would do a thing if detergent failed. Hopefully the coins are low-value types; if so, you aren't out too much if they're truly ruined.
If the acetone works, just make sure you rinse it off completely using clean (preferably distilled) water. The coins can then be air-dried on a clean towel. If you prefer, you can give them a final rinse in clean, unused acetone. That will very quickly evaporate without harming the coins.
Good luck!
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Valued Member
United States
150 Posts |
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Replies: 33 / Views: 13,114 |
Posted 05/11/2007 4:01 pm
