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 Replies: 20 / Views: 4,465 |
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Valued Member
Australia
81 Posts |
Hey everyone,
I'm just wondering if any of your clean your coins collection before storing them?
Should you or should you not clean your coins?
Example using a soft tooth brush to clean the dirty stuff?
I saw on a few article saying not to clean your coins however I find it a little annoying to see dirty grime built up on coins which can be wiped off easily.
Can everyone please share their opinion.
Thanks!
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5238 Posts |
Even if the articles have not convinced you, I repeat: No cleaning. Even a soft toothbrush can produce fine scratches-the grime itself is also potentially abrasive.
The only absolutely safe thing to do is soak the coins in acetone, which should remove the grime. Pat dry, do not rub.
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Valued Member
United States
392 Posts |
I do an acetone dip. You can find tons of posts about soaking coins in distilled water, acetone or xylene on this forum. Just use the search feature and you'll be busy reading for hours. No toothbrushes.
Edited by Lionel90
12/11/2018 05:57 am
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
In general:
don't clean coins!
That is really the bottom line.
Why?
Because if you do, you will almost certainly wipe value off the coin.
Depends on what coins.
Almost all ancient coins need cleaning after recovery from burial. This is best left to museum professionals, who know what they are doing. Almost all ancient coins have been professionally cleaned before they find their way to market.
Usually OK to clean metal detector recoveries yourself, especially if they are of low numismatic value.
Gold coins in less than around AU50 or so can come up a treat and really shine, when gently rubbed between the fingers with good old soap 'n water and pat dried. I have around 30 or so gold coins covering a period of 2,200 years, and they have all received this treatment, before being enclosed in a 2x2.
Don't do this with mirror cameo proof gold, you will be asking for trouble. Best cleaned with acetone, if you have to.
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Valued Member
 Australia
81 Posts |
Thank you for the opinions and because I'm new to coin collecting, I'm confused because if you are using acetone and or using soap and water, isn't that considered cleaning too?
Unless I misunderstood the meaning of "cleaning"
Edited by Charl
12/11/2018 07:21 am
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
Acetone will not harm the metal of a coin if just soaking . Do not use any kind of brush while soaking . Sometimes I use a toothpick or Q-tip very gently . Soap and water will usually make the coin look light in color hence, a cleaned coin which is a no no !  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5238 Posts |
Quote:
Unless I misunderstood the meaning of "cleaning" "No cleaning" is just a shorthand way of saying don't clean things the wrong way, which is most of the ways. Yes, an acetone dip is cleaning in a technical sense, but we don't call it that. Cleaning to the average person means scrubbing and polishing, which is fine for cars and dishes and furniture but not for coins, so best just to say "no cleaning" and clarify with the few safe exceptions rather than send the wrong message. I hope that it is clear what the safe things to do with coins are. |
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
Acetone "conserves" a coin,does not "clean" a coin. John1  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Acetone only removes some of the stuff on you coins. It does not take off anything of the coin itself. Washing with soap and water could really do some damage. Water is different everywhere. So is soap. The water could be acidic. Same with the soap. It is just good practice to leave a coin the way you find it. Removing some stuff from a coin could actually be removing some of the original metal of the coin.
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Valued Member
Australia
81 Posts |
Thanks for the info, will look up in older forum about the acetone dipping. So I misunderstood the meaning of "cleaning" in coins collecting  For those who are using soap and water method, just wondering what type of soap are you using? And is there anything I need to be aware of? Example if dish washing liquid is used there are normal or concentrated ones. |
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
Quote:
For those who are using soap and water method, just wondering what type of soap are you using? And is there anything I need to be aware of?
Yes, that for anything other than ancients you will very likely do more harm than good. The basic rule of thumb for conserving/cleaning coins is that if you have to ask you very likely aren't the one who should be doing it. You need to have a good understanding of grading and coins in general and then you can experiment on cheap ones to see |
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
Quote:
For those who are using soap and water method, just wondering what type of soap are you using? And is there anything I need to be aware of?
Example if dish washing liquid is used there are normal or concentrated ones. If you reread my post you will know that soap & water is cleaning which is a big NO NO ! |
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Moderator
United States
187702 Posts |
For cleaning/conserving, I usually refer people to this post first. |
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Valued Member
Australia
81 Posts |
Yes I did read your post about not using soap and water however.... Acetone is extremely flammable and I am a smoker, I'm pretty sure that I will end up burning my eye brow someday  I never use acetone before and don't feel comfortable using it at this stage so I'm looking at second opinion and options |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1005 Posts |
My opinion is that you should never use soap on coins. Only ever used distilled water, acetone, or xylene. If you are worried about using these, do not do anything to the coins.
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Valued Member
Australia
81 Posts |
I will not do anything to my coins at the moment since I'm not confident with acetone.
By the way, what's the difference between normal tap water and distilled water?
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Replies: 20 / Views: 4,465 |
Posted 12/11/2018 04:49 am
