| Author |
 Replies: 7 / Views: 1,315 |
|
|
New Member
United States
1 Posts |
Hi all,
First off, I'm sorry to say I know absolutely nothing about coin-collecting. When I received my change at the store they gave me a couple pennies from the 60s, and now that I'm looking through all my change I'm realizing how many "old" coins I actually have. I'm not sure if they're worth much because like I said, I know nothing about coin collecting, but I want to save them. I've read a few tutorials online that show how to clean coins with vinegar, soap, etc. but I've also read some that say never to use vinegar, soap, etc because it ruins them. But they're dirty, so I want to know if the grim would damage them more than cleaning them would? Would it hurt if I used straight water and gently scrubbed them? Thanks in advance, and sorry for my (probably) obvious question.
|
|
|
|
Valued Member
Canada
67 Posts |
Thanks for posting this. I am also wondering about what to do with this. I know any cleaning or polishing does usually depreciate the value however sometime there can be a small bit of something stuck on one spot.
|
|
Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
 to CCF. Do not clean them. Post pics please.As a general rule,never clean a coin (ancient coins excluded) John1  |
|
Bedrock of the Community
 United States
12477 Posts |
There are ways to rehab a coin but, the method depends on the "infliction", if you know what I mean. Pure acetone is used to remove gunk but, it has its limits. Scrubbing with anything is generally a negative but you must know what you're dealing with.
Like John1 said, Ancients are a whole different story in this regard. A modern U.S. proof, no way. I'm in the process of trying to rehab an ugly modern U.S. Commemorative proof. It's slow but, I think it will turn out better than I received it. However, I've tested the process on others. If you're going to test, don't do it on anything valuable.
In Memory of Crazyb0 12-26-1951 to 7-27-2020
In Memory of Tootallious 3-31-1964 to 4-15-2020
In Memory of T-BOP 10-12-1949 to 1-19-2024
|
|
Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
Show photos and we can guide you. With the exception of a soak in pure acetone, followed by a pure water rinse, followed by air dry, there is no other good way to clean most coins.
If you must, practice on junk coins.
|
|
Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
The reason any experienced collector will immediately tell you, "Don't clean coins!" is not because you should never clean a coin, but because it is not called for 999 times out of a thousand, and it takes a bunch of experience to correctly decide if you have that one in a thousand.
Originality is prized in numismatics. A coin whose surface has been altered from original - even if that "original" is dirt and patina from circulation - loses the majority of its' numismatic value, even for those few who are willing to buy them. And newer collectors do not realize just how easy it is to detect a cleaned coin; the difference is plain to anyone with experience in the vast majority of cases.
It's pretty unlikely that a coin which is younger than many posters here - myself included - would have such significance that a cleaning process would be called for.
One exception to the rule are those coins which have an active corrosion process happening which will ultimately destroy the coin. That does not include the natural patination/toning process, which if anything protects the coin from other intrusions.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
Canada
24885 Posts |
To the Forum. |
|
Moderator
United States
188213 Posts |
to the Community! SsuperDdave speaks the truth. Also, it is important to be patient. Spend a lot of your time learning before doing.  |
| |
Replies: 7 / Views: 1,315 |
|
Posted 09/17/2017 04:14 am
