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 Replies: 22 / Views: 3,403 |
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Valued Member
United States
52 Posts |
Is there anyway to clean debris off coins without causing harm?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4869 Posts |
Not that I'm aware of. Just don't clean them at all. The coin becomes damaged and less desireable.
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Valued Member
 United States
52 Posts |
Thank you much. I heard some did and some dont and I have read suggestions about cleaning but I was not sure if it was a good idea.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
14454 Posts |
its a bad idea to clean any coin because it is deemed taboo in the numismatic world, but if its a coin like a copper coin that has greed vertigre on it that is just personally valuable and not really numismatic valuable then there is a thread on here how to do it to stop the "green of death" here is a link to the thread https://goccf.com/t/4804 . Just remember I am in no way stating you should ever clean a coin but this did seem to help his coin that was in need of help |
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Valued Member
United States
52 Posts |
Thank you for the link......I never knew about the potato.
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Rest in Peace
United States
2884 Posts |
Coin cleaning is a very touchy subject. That being said, if the coin would continue to deteriorate being left alone, conservation by a professional or a skilled collector would be the right thing to do. There is no true blanket statement about cleaning as each coin needs to be considered on a case by case basis. Mike  |
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Moderator
 Australia
16831 Posts |
Some general principles to apply:
1. Dont' clean coins unless absolutely necessary. "Because I want to" or "I prefer my coins to be nice and shiny" are not considered valid reasons from a numismatic perspective!
2. Don't clean uncirculated or valuable coins at all. Either first become a coin cleaning expert yourself by practising with lots of "junk" coins (and get lots of help and advice) or, preferably, send a valuable coin requiring cleaning to the experts.
3. If you must clean, use mild cleaners. Soap and water is a mild cleaner (though not to be used on coppers); so are things like acetone, rubbing alcohol and such similar solvents. Vinegar, lemon juice, battery acid or anything else with "acid" in the ingredients list is not considered a mild cleaner. As far as coins are concerned, there's really no such thing as a "mild acid". Read the ingredients list, and ask if you're not a chemistry expert.
4. Some general exceptions to the "don't clean coins" rule:
- Coins found with a metal detector, while gardening, or as part of an archaeological dig. Such coins will likely be corroded and likely not be worth too much to a collector, but they're still special if you found them. Ask on the metal detecting forum if you've got coins of this kind. Bryan's link above also has good info on corroded copper coins.
- Coins kept in plastic albums for too long. Many kinds of plastics, especially the ones popular in the '70s and '80s, are harmful to coins long-term. The "green slime" from PVC and similar plastics should be removed as soon as possible, with a solvent like acetone.
- War Medals. Everyone realises there's no point in trying to stop old soldiers from polishing up their medals, so those are "supposed to be" cleaned.
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
Edited by Sap
05/02/2006 04:35 am
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1079 Posts |
I live by a simple rule....Don't clean coins unless the coin is WORTHLESS and you are doing it for personal reasons for your personal collection.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1262 Posts |
I only have one thing to say.....DON'T
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Valued Member
United States
52 Posts |
Thank you for the advise...I will make sure not to clean any coin I receive.
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Forum Kid
Kuwait
1523 Posts |
AHHHHH!!!!!!!!
OH NO!
Stop Right there!
Yes, you!
Don't even get a scrubber near that coin of yours!
Phew...Saved another coin!
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Valued Member
United States
58 Posts |
Edited by quarterfan
07/15/2006 7:53 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Belgium
2078 Posts |
I allways wonder My friend a retired coindealer dips all his coins before submitting to one of the top three slabbers Those coins allways come back MS64-MS67  Now I suppose this means these guys and their microcopes cannot see the difference Oh so sorry I forgot I am talking gold coins only I pesonally hate to get a 150 year old Napoleon 100 FF with a fresh fingerprint on it Oh and the worst acid is in cola it is phosporic acid which may even attack gold alloys |
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Valued Member
United States
394 Posts |
BEING NEW, I AM A JOHNNY-COME-LATELY ON THIS SUBJECT, BUT
IT IS ONE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT. IN THE 20 YEARS SINCE
I STOPPED COLLECTING, THE THING THAT STRIKES ME THE MOST
IS THE ACCEPTANCE OF CLEANING COINS. I SAW ONE WEB SITE
THAT TALKS ABOUT AND DOES "CONSERVATION", PLUS ALL THE
VARIOUS INPUT BY VERY MANY PEOPLE ON DIFFERENT FORUMS.
COLLECTING COINS AND THEN CLEANING THEM IS TANTAMOUNT TO
TAKING A SHOWER WITH A RAINCOAT ON. YOU (I) JUST DON'T DO IT.....
JUST MY OPINION, BUT KNOW THAT MANY OF THE YOUNGER
COLLECTOR'S WOULD GO ALONG WITH IT.
BERRY
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Pillar of the Community
Belgium
2078 Posts |
On a gold coin I do not consider acetone bathing as cleaning since nobody in the world can see if this was done or not afterwards and if you cannot see it then it did not happen  Unless you prefer your coin with a fingerprint that in time will eat the copper part and never be removable again unless you use a strong acid which everybody will see was used Avoid all mechanical cleanign even your finger or cottontips unless you have a coin with verdigris which requires chemical and mechanical operations |
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Valued Member
Australia
125 Posts |
I never clean coins ... well, almost never. So what happens when you find coin, been under floorboards nearly 100yrs? You know it's an old three-pence even though covered with something looks like white paint. You just have to try. So without hesitation applied terps and prodded with tooth-pick and tooth-brush. Look what happened: http://users.chariot.net.au/~villai.../Page_2.htmlCheers |
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Replies: 22 / Views: 3,403 |
Posted 05/01/2006 3:19 pm
