This Is Scary - Coin Community Forum

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

Author	Replies: 3 / Views: 1,153
insideout Pillar of the Community United States 591 Posts	Posted 05/21/2008 04:09 am http://www.metacafe.com/watch/13156...n_2_minutes/ Report this Post to the Staff

Sap Moderator Australia 16826 Posts	Posted 05/21/2008 06:03 am Not really. People have been cleaning copper coin with lemon juice and salt for ages. I remember this same thing demonstrated on one of those "science for kids" TV shows in the 1970's. Of course, what the guy doesn't say is the "clean" coin is pinkish in colour, it doesn't at all make the coin "look like new", and the coin will be worthless as a collectable. More disturbingly, it doesn't mention that you need to thoroughly wash the coin afterwards, preferably with distilled or DI water. Otherwise, the residual acid left on the coin will keep eating away at it, leaving a pitted, ugly ruin after a few hours. I trashed one of my big brother's best coins after watching that '70s science show. Finally, I know that's what happens to coppers ie pre-1982 cents. What does it do to a post-1982 zinc? I suspect the thin copper coating will probably dissolve in strong lemon juice after a few minutes, leaving the zinc core... and making it's eventual inheritor of the coin believe they've got a rare "unplated penny" mint error. Like this one, maybe. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
KurtS Pillar of the Community United States 5318 Posts	Posted 05/21/2008 1:52 pm Quote: What does it do to a post-1982 zinc? I suspect the thin copper coating will probably dissolve in strong lemon juice after a few minutes, leaving the zinc core... Interesting--perhaps I'll need to test that idea. If there is any exposed zinc, I wonder which would go first? Since copper is a more noble metal in the galvanic series, it will create Zinc ions in the presence of an electrolyte, forcing the metal into solution. As sometimes happens in circulation, the zinc core might corrode away, leaving a copper shell. Edited by KurtS 05/21/2008 5:04 pm Report this Post to the Staff
BadThad Bedrock of the Community United States 19947 Posts	Posted 05/21/2008 7:19 pm Coke will do the same thing, it's just an acid reaction. Too bad it ruins the coin from a collector point of view. Lincoln Cent Lover! VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/ Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 3 / Views: 1,153

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

All Forums Category: General Numismatic Forums Forum: Main Coin Forum

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!

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

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 0.26 seconds to rattle this change.