Coin Cleaning

Tim, Tim, Tim ....

The best method for the knowledgeable hobbiest is ... don't.

If you must disregard all the sage advice from the regulars here, do a search on "cleaning". You will find many threads on this subject and the answer to your question will depend a lot on what you have and what needs to be removed. Without that specific knowledge all I can recommend is a search.

Here's a few household products I don't recommend for coins (all in good humor) :
Avoid:
• Brasso
• Baking soda
• Comet cleanser
• brillo or scotchbrite pads
• silver cleaners or any jewelry cleaner
• olive oil (it may contain acids)
• citrus-based cleansers (I'm wary of these too due to possible acidity)
• using power tools (kidding of course, but I've seen silver coins put under a buffer)

Basically, I'm wary of anything that could possibly abrade or react with coin metal. Because if it reacts/cleans/changes metal--it's removing something from the coin surface, often indiscriminately.

What's left?
• distilled water
• acetone (pure--not polish remover)
• denatured alcohol (I use this in place of acetone due to reduced health risks)
• mineral oil (such as food-grade butcher block oil) This oil is neutral on coins

As DL20K suggests, it's best to avoid problem coins with severe corrosion. However, sometimes coins can be protected further by loosening excess crud which might attract moisture and corrode the coin. Outside of soaking a coin and letting dirt lift on its own, actively removing dirt with any tool may later show signs of cleaning. A good example are copper coins where removing a covering of dirt around devices may reveal brighter copper and then look cleaned, no matter how carefully it was done. It's always a good idea to test any cleaning method on a coin of little value.

--just one opinion; proceed with caution and good luck!

i only asked because I seen a bunch of coins on ebay that have been cleaned and look nice. just wondered how that works and if it would be a good thing to do. now that I know a little more about this topic I might stay away from that. thanks

was wondering, how come we (assuming myself as a seasoned collector) don't like cleaned coins?

As common to collectors with a science background, we love to experiment. When Thad made his product available, I waited a while before purchasing a kit, but the curiosity got the best of me. If you have a baggie or container of coppers labeled "experiments" then you should try it. Beginners may have some difficulty as it does require you to evaluate the degree of verdigris, its location, etc. Experienced collectors know what verdigris is rather than organic material or "carbon" annealings. Just as a "Pro" knows when to stop dipping silver before permanent visible damage occurs, coppers require the same care.

The chemical is not perfect and Thad has never said it was, he emphasized caution. He has had treated coins slabbed with no indication, but then he is the most experienced user. A beginner may go overboard. I have found best results by changing the dilution rather than trying to time it. I see where the verdigris used to be as I know where it was. Otherwise I would have assumed it was slight discoloration due to toning/staining. Don't start with your 09-SVDB, try several 1958s



Jim

I've used Linder's Coin Cleaner with success and it's safe on all metals. Just never rub the coin. Allow it to soak and then rinse and pat dry.

Not just seasoned collectors, but most people into anything old. Did you ever see a cleaned Mummy at a museum? Ever watch the Antique Road Show? There they always stress if this hadn't been cleaned it would be worth XXX more. At any car shows you loose points if your car has had to many modifications if your in the originallity area. I changed my heater hoses on my 68 Chrysler, used Orange ones and that's all I heard all day.
The mail problem with cleaning coins is the loss of some of the material from the cleaning. Some contaminates have combined with the metal of a coin and the removal also removes that metal.
As to what substances around the house could be used if you just had to attempt to clean coins. If you browse though this forum you'ld find numerous methods attempted. Some of the ones I've read about and have tried myself are:
Olive Oils, Lemon Juice, Tomato Juice, Baking Soda and water made int a paste, Vinegar, Lime Juice, finger nail polish remover, spit, battery acid, laundry soap, dish soap and even toilet bowl cleaners.
At flea markets I've seen people demonstrating auto polishes by using on coins. If the auto polish contains a cleaner and a wax it makes the coins look like a proof.
It's fun to experiment but just remember that any coin you clean will loose most of it's numismatic value.

^^thanks, just carl!
yup, I guess it is simple enough of a concept.
...still aesthetically, I like clean shiny coins better than if I just leave the grime on them...
:)
but of course, I do save the time if I just let my coins be... and not attempt to always keep them shiny