Cleaning Coins A No No, What About Buff Them?

Nope, sorry ozzy, there's nothing you can do to remove tarnish that wouldn't be considered "cleaning".

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...I've had them in my closet in a "breathable" bag all this time...

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There's your mistake. I'm not entirely sure what a "breathable bag" is, but it doesn't sound good. For collectors of nice shiny coins, the air is the enemy. Oxygen and other stuff in the air (like sea salt, humidity, air pollution or cigarette smoke) will tone/tarnish your coins. The closet might also be pine or some other wood which emits noxious vapours, discolouring coins over time. Finally, the cardboard album itself likely contains sulfur, which makes just about any metal it touches turn black.

The good news is, most collectors prefer their coins to look their age. Some even pay a premium for particularly appealing toning, leading to some unscrupulous types "artificially toning" their formerly shiny coins.

We coin collectors are a funny lot.

the coins are Mercury dimes up to 1945, Roosevelt dimes up to 1964 and Washington quarters up to 1964. yes they are/were in folders, not albums and I had them in a mesh/vinyl little travel bag. I am in the process now of moving the coins to flip holders. or will those be just as bad?
i hate being so ignorant that becuz of wat I did, tarnished those beautiful coins. live and learn.
thx everyone for your input, it is all greatly appreciated.

I forgot to mention about that using your fingers to mess with those coins. As noted oils and acids from your fingers can also do damage to coins. The acids will leave finger prints on coins that almost never can be removed if left to set. Check out these web sites for coin cleaning and you'll find many suggestions on what to and what not to do with coins. Like I said you wouldn't want to ruin a valuable coin. For sure attempt to buy a Red Book on coins for info on which may be of greater value so you don't mess with those if possible. For example in Merc Dimes a 16D, 21, 21D, 26S, etc. Also, be carefull of the 42's. There are 42 over 41's that are expensive.

Hello Ozzylady,

Welcome to the forum!

I'm probably in the minority here, but in the case of mint-state silver coins that have dark, unattractive toning I would consider a light treatment with a commercial coin cleaner like EZ-est. Many coin dealers "dip" coins to address situations like yours. Here's how I would do it:

1) Dilute the cleaner with distilled water at a level of maybe 1 part cleaner to 4 parts water. This makes it less aggressive and allows finer control of the "de-toning" process. You won't need much solution; just enough to cover the coin. For a small coin like a dime a shot glass is a big enough container.
2) Immerse my least-valuable toned coin in the diluted cleaner for just a few seconds.
3) Remove the coin and wash it thoroughly in clean distilled water followed by a rinse with pure acetone or methanol (to speed drying). Let it dry completely on a clean towel. Obviously, be very careful not to damage the coin as you handle it.
4) Examine the coin and compare it to the other toned coins in the collection and try to decide whether I've made it better or worse. If the toning is still too dark, I would repeat steps 2 and 3 until I was satisfied.

My goal would be to lighten the toning to the point that details are clear and the remaining tone is attractive rather than ugly. The coin cleaner can be further diluted if a more gentle effect is needed. What you don't want to do is completely strip the toning. Over-dipping is likely to damage the luster. The result would be a dull, lifeless white coin with reduced appeal and possibly lower value.

Any chance you can post photos of some of your coins? I'd love to see just how "brown and blackish" they are!