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 Replies: 13 / Views: 1,273 |
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Valued Member
United States
432 Posts |
A dealer friend of mine had some lincoln wheat cents that he said was ultrasonic cleaned. I have been a collector for a little over 10 years and have dabbled in dealing for the last 4 years and never heard this term.  What is this type of cleaning and what is the telltale signs. Thanks for your help. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10982 Posts |
It's likely a standard ultrasonic jewelry cleaner sold everywhere and it's really tough to tell if the fluid was not harsh and the coin was suspended in it.
I've done this dozens of times and I bet you would never know if you looked at the coins. ; )
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
12437 Posts |
It is the same ultrasonic bath used for jewelry cleaning. It can be used on coins but there are better and easier methods.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2224 Posts |
A long time ago I purchased an 1864L Indian cent from a junk type coin box at a show that was covered in some kind of goo. Through the muck looked to be a lot of detail, so at $5 I thought it a good deal. I put it in an ultrasonic cleaner with nothing but distilled water. It cleaned up perfectly! You never would have known anything was ever wrong with it. It had EF details; sold it for $200 (this was many years ago, worth a lot more now!) |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19930 Posts |
Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Moderator
 Australia
16806 Posts |
...and if yo do a forum search for the word "ultrasonic", you'll find lots of discussion. In theory, ultrasonics is an excellent way of cleaning coins, and for ground finds it's as good as anything else at loosening dirt. It's main drawback is in finding a way to safely suspend the coin in the bath without causing excessive friction and damage. 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
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6381 Posts |
I only tried ultrasonic one time, on a circulated 1859 Indian cent. The color became lighter and the coin ended up with a washed-out, dull appearance. I did not think it was an improvement and haven't tried it again. Still, in theory it should be non-destructive and might be the right way to go for certain coins. I wonder if anyone wants to post some before and after photos of coins treated with ultrasonic? That would be very interesting! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2600 Posts |
Typically, how long does the process take and couldn't you just hold the coin in your fingers?   Jim |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10982 Posts |
Quote:
...how long does the process take and couldn't you just hold the coin in your fingers? First off I must say - I only ultrasonically clean low value coins. Second: Lately I've used Goo Gone in it but the Linder's Cleaner I have used worked much betrer. Cost a lot more too though. Last: I run it 2-3 minutes for each side of the coin. You could hold the coin but that would require more fluid and patience - I use the plastic basket that came with the cleaner. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2600 Posts |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
If you do check into those things you would find that many come with solutions for cleaning and not water. Those solutions could remove more than you would like and the coin would really be cleaned. If you do use one, just use distilled water. Regardless of what you try, never use those on a valuable coin.
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
I use one all the time to clean crusty ancients. I don't use the cleaner just mild soap and water. It works great and doesn't damage the coin at all. My cleaner comes with a plastic tray where you can place the coin on without touching each other.
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Valued Member
Australia
125 Posts |
Sounds good... so where to purchase one of these gizmo's?
Les
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Moderator
United States
23731 Posts |
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Replies: 13 / Views: 1,273 |
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Posted 03/02/2009 6:04 pm
