Cleaning PVC Damage On Bronze Coins

That would have been my guess. Can't think of anything else that would not be too harsh

biggfredd- no it is just on the surface of the coin. Absolutely no pitting is present. So it definately is just really bad PVC damage.

Well, do you think that trying to soak it in Acetone for much longer would have better results?

Here are some pics. Honestly I once had a canadian silver dollar that was just as badly covered in PVC that had hardened on the coin. Acetone didn't work then either. I ended up using a chemical called "MS70" that was lent to me by my coin dealer.



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The difference is silver dollars don't get verdigris except under extremely rare circumstances.

Another green is leather crud, where leather has deteriorated. It will come off with your fingernail.

Also remember that nail polish remover is acetone plus a bunch of other crap like fragrances, softeners, etc. NEVER use it to clean coins.

The reason the standard rule is "Don't clean coins" is because the first step is to know what it is you're trying to remove.

In most cases, you'll do far more irreversible damage by cleaning a coin the wrong way than you'll ever improve it. Not to mention wasting your time instead of letting the buyer deal with it.

I have a bottle of that MS70 stuff.It is just an industrial strength soap.I have tried it on verdigris copper.You let it soak for a few minutes and massage with a q-tip.It removed most of the green but left the toning ok...I tried it on a spare Peace dollar that had black crap all over it and it made it look much better,not like it was dipped.I don't think I would ever use it on any of my Special coins though...

But you failed to mention how nice the coins could end up smelling. And just what is wrong with a soft coin?
Meanwhile, just to play safe, try the safest, cheapest, methods first. Since you may already have the Acetone, try leaving it in a little longer. Now here is something I read but it never worked for me. Placing your coin in Acetone in a clear glass container and placing it in the sun light.
Try a soaking in distilled water. Again, nothing to loose and you can always use distilled water for other things.
Additional attempts to remove that contamination may result in permanent damage but if you insist on trying, here are a few other things that may or may not work. A little Lemon or Lime Juice, or Tomato Juice or even Ketchup. Now the problem here is these items are acidic so the mild acid may remove that stuff but will make the entire coin looked cleaned. Some people swear by using Olive Oils to remove junk on coins. I usually swear at them though.
I repeat that the removal of the stuff on your coin may proof to be a bad mistake.