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How Do I Clean A Coin?

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vermontensium's Avatar
United States
16679 Posts
 Posted 01/11/2010  6:39 pm  Show Profile   Check vermontensium's eBay Listings Check vermontensium's eCrater Listings Bookmark this reply Add vermontensium to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Course sandpaper will do the job. Seriously, don't clean any coin. Leave em alone. Welcome!
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Bryan1315's Avatar
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 Posted 01/11/2010  6:51 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Bryan1315 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I am guessing the center you are referring to is some sort of copper, copper changes color rather quickly and any chemical that I know of will turn it a pinkish color and not look natural./ I think it looks fine the way it is, with coins brighter does not equal better. Most coin collectors would rather have a old crusty coin than a bright white coin and will pay premiums for the crusty ones over the others. if you clean it incorrectly you can guarantee a drop in numismatic value anytime in the future. So in short it is never a good idea to clean a coin
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biokemist6's Avatar
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12437 Posts
 Posted 01/11/2010  10:19 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add biokemist6 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I am going to go against the grain here and say do whatever you want with the coin. Normally, cleaning a coin is a bad thing and will ruin the value because cleaning damages the original finish of a coin. However, this coin is common circulated European pocket change- Belgium minted 120 million 2 Euro coins in 2000- and will not have any real numismatic premium in the foreseeable future. The center is nickel brass which will naturally tarnish to a brown color but it does appear to have corrosion spots behind King Albert's head and on his cheek. Anything that will clean copper or brass will do the trick but the result may be an overly bright surface or the color might even be pinkish-orange. You may also want to try rubbing on a baking soda paste or toothpaste(regular, not gel).

Remember, cleaning anything of value is one of the easiest ways to destroy that value but there is really no harm in polishing up common pocket change if you just want it to look bright and shiny. However, when in doubt, DO NOT CLEAN!
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schmidty's Avatar
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 Posted 01/11/2010  10:24 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add schmidty to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply


Amen to that!
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prwalesrus's Avatar
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 Posted 01/15/2010  7:18 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add prwalesrus to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
with you badthad I'll take your advice
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someothertime's Avatar
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 Posted 01/16/2010  10:40 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add someothertime to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I think ferret552 has the best idea. Acetone won't change the finish and the dirt
will fall off.
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 Posted 01/20/2010  9:44 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add drhorrible to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
What about olive oil? I heard this is a good way to not harm it and get some cleaning done...Your thoughts?
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Ferret552's Avatar
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 Posted 01/21/2010  03:53 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Ferret552 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I don't know about olive oil... I've heard that it takes forever.

Actually, I agree with biokemist. This coin isn't really worth more than face value, so do what you want with it. Just keep in mind that if you come across a coin you think is valuable or unsure about... don' clean it!
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turtleoverhead's Avatar
Australia
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 Posted 01/21/2010  07:02 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add turtleoverhead to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Let me quote one clever man:
You may think you own the coins in your collection, you're really
just taking care of them for the next owner.
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 Posted 02/13/2010  06:32 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add tomcorona to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Lighter fluid.
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 Posted 02/13/2010  7:17 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add just carl to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
What about olive oil? I heard this is a good way to not harm it and get some cleaning done...Your thoughts?


Many have said they had good results from Olive Oil. Also, as you probably have seen many will say Lighter Fluid, Lemon Juice, Battery Acid, Vinegar, Tomato paste and even Nitro Glycerine. An M-80 fire cracker may also blow off some dirt.
Just remember that to run out and spend money on something for cleaning a coin may just be real waste of money and your coin looks OK to me anyway. I'd still say leave it alone.
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