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 Replies: 13 / Views: 2,572 |
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New Member
United States
3 Posts |
So I am new to this and I dont want to mess up a good find!! I know or shall I say I have been told you are not supposed to clean coins. With that being said I have been wiping them off thoroughly with a microfiber cloth. The kind that comes with eye glasses and touch screens for cleaning. I have not been using any cleaner or any liquids for that matter. Is this okay or am I messing the coins up.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
2843 Posts |
1 word answer. Don't. One more word.  Edited by BigSilver
11/21/2017 11:38 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7512 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7375 Posts |
You'll probably get lots of suggestions with this one. What type of coins are you talking about? People generally DO clean old Roman type coins caked with crud. Assuming you are talking about US coinage, I would not be throughly wiping them off. Soaking them in distilled water first, and then acetone to remove any organic matter would be my suggestion. No wiping. Lots of threads on this topic. Edited by edweather
11/21/2017 11:39 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
992 Posts |
If you can post a photo of your coins, we could perhaps advise a bit better if a soak and pat dry was appropriate.
The general rule, however, is don't clean them or rub them. Your microfiber cloth isn't a bad choice, but it's still leaving marks on the coins and reducing grades and values.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Basically just don't try cleaning coins. Usually people that do make them worse. It's sort of like using a wire wheel on a cars finish. Something that just don't work. On very nice coins if and when you try to clean them, you could end up leaving scratches on them instead. Some people dip them in stuff like Jewlery cleaners and that too could mess them up. Sort of the best thing about a coin is leaving them alone. |
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Anything but ancients and you're damaging them and doing more far more harm than good
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Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Even a microfiber cloth is more than capable of creating hairlines on a nice coin, and ruining the coin's value. A circulated example might survive the process better, but it's not worth tie risk.
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
now you know. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1314 Posts |
The generally accepted practices vary.
The proud collector of uncirculated silver proofs will offer advice that may not help you with your lucky pocket piece.
Read some of the other posts on the subject of cleaning and use caution. Pieces of value cannot be fixed once you've scrubbed them.
Edited by Chute72
11/21/2017 7:40 pm
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Valued Member
United States
143 Posts |
I was also wondering about this as I got a roll of pennies with some nice "shiny" older (60's and 70's) copper pennies, was quite a surprise to me. Most of the pennies in the roll were nasty and disgusting, like they had been sitting in old car oil for awhile, super greasy and dirty and my fingers were nasty afterwards. I know that you shouldn't clean them, and I have rubbed them with a soft cloth (I will now stop doing that!).
My question is: once you have soaked them in distilled water (or done the freeze and thaw method), do you just let them air dry? Wouldn't this create spots?
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
super greasy and dirty and my fingers were nasty afterwards. I know that you shouldn't clean them, and I have rubbed them with a soft cloth (I will now stop doing that!). Did you mean your fingers? If so, you should clean them before eating if you use your fingers to eat that is.  If those coins are just regular coins of no great value, why waste time trying to clean them? Just spend them as is. IF you think they are of any value, use Acetone instead of water. |
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Valued Member
United States
143 Posts |
Umm....yeah, definitely washed my hands before eating....EWWW! LOL! I am not talking about cleaning coins just for the sake of cleaning them, just the ones I thought may have some value and were in good condition. :)
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
to the CCF! |
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Replies: 13 / Views: 2,572 |
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Posted 11/21/2017 11:28 am
