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 Replies: 13 / Views: 3,927 |
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Valued Member
Canada
54 Posts |
Is distilled water and soap the best way to clean dirt off coins without damaging it and lowering it's value? I purchased a bulk lot of world coins and would like to clean off any dirt/oils off the coin before putting them into flips. Or should I not bother (just don't like the fact that ANYTHING could be on those coins, my fingers got pretty dark from just holding them on the edges).
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
 NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. The distilled water is OK. However, the word SOAP is just to vague. Soaps are made a massively different way everywhere. Some contain a really abrasive material for hard to clean things. Others may contain perfumes for the ladies. Some may contain a mild acid. Very possibly some of the worst things to use on coins is tap water and SOAP. Unless you relly, really know exactly what that soap is, don't use it on coins. Edited by just carl
01/30/2014 10:42 pm
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Valued Member
 Canada
54 Posts |
Ok, just distilled water it is.
Thank you!
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1823 Posts |
 If the coins are collectible or valuable, cleaning will almost always reduce their value â€" sometimes by as much as 90% â€" and cleaning won't improve their grading (the standards used by coin collectors and dealers to evaluate a coin), so you should usually let them be. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19963 Posts |
If they are just common coins, I'd just use tap water (but no soap). Wash a handful at a time by holding under running hot water. If you have distilled water, you can rinse them with that after the tap water. Make sure they are totally, 100% dry before storage or they will corrode.
Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
Edited by BadThad
01/31/2014 12:13 am
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5417 Posts |
Don't you dare. Just distilled water; Acetone if you really have to. Never let the coin near a strong acid or base.
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Valued Member
Canada
54 Posts |
Hmmm, so even just rinsing them in distilled water could lower the value? I'm not sure if any are worth anything yet, I just looked at them quickly but some coins were in the 1800's and low 1900's.
Would I be better off just putting them into flips/storage without rinsing them, even though my fingers turned dark from handling the edges for ~10 minutes?
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1823 Posts |
Take some pictures of the best ones and show us.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
If they are just common coins, I'd just use tap water (but no soap). Wash a handful at a time by holding under running hot water. If you have distilled water, you can rinse them with that after the tap water. Make sure they are totally, 100% dry before storage or they will corrode. BadThad you shocked me. TAP WATER? Remember that the term TAP WATER could mean lots of things. In many areas it contains Fluorine and/or Chlroine. Many have water softeners and that is a Sodium Chloride solution system. Some tap waters are only basically purified. Some goes through Leaded piping, Copper piping that is slowly corroding, etc. One of the biggest problems people have with house plants dying is the Salt from Water Softeners. In other words the use of Tap Water is not a good idea. |
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Valued Member
Canada
54 Posts |
So I decided not to wash them at all after researching opinions of it. Although I have a bunch of coins with anywhere between a tiny spec of verdigris (at least I think so, its greenish) to a large amount of it (where it takes over one side of the coin).
Should I do anything about the ones with just a tiny spec? I've already separated the coins that have it from the ones that don't. I also took some junk/duplicate ones that have it and will test it with olive oil.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19963 Posts |
Quote:
BadThad you shocked me. TAP WATER? Remember that the term TAP WATER could mean lots of things. In many areas it contains Fluorine and/or Chlroine. Many have water softeners and that is a Sodium Chloride solution system. Some tap waters are only basically purified. Some goes through Leaded piping, Copper piping that is slowly corroding, etc. One of the biggest problems people have with house plants dying is the Salt from Water Softeners.
In other words the use of Tap Water is not a good idea. Yes Carl, sometimes good old tap water is just fine. If we're talking about bulk, common coins, I see no problem with it as long as they're dried properly. An after-rinse with distilled water will remove any impurities. I'd venture to guess most of the coins in circulation have been exposed to "dirty" water during their lifetime. I've conserved quite a few coins by simply using hot, running, tap water and my fingers. It works great! Of course, I'd never do this to coins of value, just common stuff.....so, don't be shocked.  Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Valued Member
United States
337 Posts |
I would be concerned by the flips. If they are as dirty as you say, and you have no idea what it is, flips are not as good as other things for controlling the air contacting the coin. Chemicals can evaporate in one flip and migrate to another.
As a cleaner for extreme cases how would, and this is a question, not a suggestion, a sonic cleaning like jewelry is subjected to, sound or ultrasound and a cleaner like acetone? Any thoughts?
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New Member
Canada
9 Posts |
Has anyone used a sonic cleaner? What solution did you use? Does anyone have any concerns? I have used sonic cleaners on circuit boards, with very good results.
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Before even considering sonic cleaning, one needs to answer the same conditions as for doing it manually - what chemical solution is involved (hint: answer = NONE) and is the result really what you want?
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Replies: 13 / Views: 3,927 |
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Posted 01/30/2014 10:50 pm
