Cleaning Ancient Silver With Lemon Juice

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 5 / Views: 4,253
Paul Bulgerin Pillar of the Community United States 3098 Posts	Posted 07/23/2014 1:05 pm I thought I'd post some "Before" and "After" photos of an ancient silver coin I cleaned using lemon juice, a silver brush and a soft nylon brush. Between soakings in the lemon juice I would put it in either distilled water or hydrogen peroxide. It's a rare one, a Trajan drachm with reverse of Zeus Ammon. You can see the condition it was in when I purchased it. It took over a week to clean, but I was very pleased with the results. Since cleaning the coin has taken on an attractive light blue patina. I've been cleaning ancient coins for fifteen years and do not hesitate to use lemon juice for pure silver coins. Paul Bulgerin Report this Post to the Staff

Paul Bulgerin Pillar of the Community United States 3098 Posts	Posted 07/23/2014 1:08 pm I should add that the coin does not have the bright silver glare in the photos. That's from the lighting. It's a very nice color. Paul Bulgerin Report this Post to the Staff
jimbucks Pillar of the Community United States 4692 Posts	Posted 07/23/2014 1:44 pm Interesting. Off the top it sounds like a bad idea, however, it appears to be effective if one prefers the coins cleaned of their patina. I wonder if this technique would work for shipwrecked coins that are all crusted together. Thanks for posting. BTW have you tried an acetone rinse prior to the lemon juice for a less harsh treatment? Report this Post to the Staff
Paul Bulgerin Pillar of the Community United States 3098 Posts	Posted 07/23/2014 1:57 pm I have not tried acetone. I only use lemon juice on encrusted silver coins that wouldn't clean up with mechanical cleaning (needles and other tools). Normally I prefer a natural patina. Paul Bulgerin Report this Post to the Staff
chrsmat71 Pillar of the Community United States 4973 Posts	Posted 07/23/2014 4:00 pm wow, that an amazing clean up job PB. i have used acetone to remove wax from bronze coins. Report this Post to the Staff
markbaer Valued Member Canada 242 Posts	Posted 07/23/2014 4:16 pm Thanks for posting that Paul. I'm trying lemon juice on some silver coins now...I should have taken some 'before' pictures as well. As far as I can tell, citric acid should not react with pure silver. Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 5 / Views: 4,253

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: World Coins and Currency Forums Forum: Ancient, Greek, Roman, and Medieval Coins

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.3 seconds to rattle this change.