The Best Way To Clean Coins

never clean your coins I wont even clean my coins that have very little value

TSOTL's daughter.




Seriously, don't clean them.

I'll see Prethen's sander and raise him a...

All joking aside, what do you want to clean off your coins? If you are trying to make them shinny again, then, as every one else here has said, don't. Coins naturally change colour as they age. This tone or patina can be many different colours, and can add substantial value to a coin if it is spectacularly pleasing to the eye.

Many a valuable coin has been made essentially worthless by well meaning, but inexperienced people cleaning coins. Once the patina is removed, the surface of the coin has been altered, and usually badly damaged. Unless the coin is rare and difficult to find, you will be hard pressed to find a buyer for that coin. So don't try and make your coins shinny.

However, there are two sides of the coin (no pun intended...OK maybe a little one). If you have a genuinely dirty coin, you can try cleaning it by soaking it in warm water and picking the dirt out of the devices with a toothpick. You should never use anything harder than the coin, or sharp. Which is why I say use a toothpick.

If you get a nice coin that has a fingerprint on it, you can try giving it a swish in acetone, which will remove the print, but wont damage the coin. However if the print has been on the coin for awhile, it may just have become part of the coin and will never come off. I personally never buy any coins with a fingerprint on them, as I hate them. I bought an opened roll of Aussie jubilee 50c coins from ebay once and every single coin had at LEAST one fingerprint on them, convieniently not mentioned in the description or visible in the photos. I spent them all.

If you have valuable coins that do need attention, your best bet is to get a professional to do it. There is a difference between cleaning and preserving your coins. Verdigris will destroy your coins. If you have any with that horrible, powdery green stuff on them, remove them from your other coins. Some say it can spread from coin to coin. I don't know for a fact, but I am not willing to take the chance. It is difficult to remove properly, so leave it to the professionals. Unless of course the coin has no real value but you want to keep it anyway, then have a go yourself.

You can try soaking it in mineral oil for a few weeks/months (some here on the forum have soaked for a full year) and then pick off what you can gently.

Hope this helps.

My arm gets tired, and I now use this. I will raise and give to Bobby.

If you really want to clean your coins the only way is with a substance that usually can only be purchased from a chemical supply house. Name is Aqua Regia. Usually can not be purchased as a solution, has to be mixed due to it can also eat glass, plastics, etc. Guaranteed all dirt will be removed from any coins.
In reality if you feel it is a necessity to clean a coin, just use distilled water, place on a cotton cloth, blow dry with a hair dryer on warm. Other than that, DON'T.