Ancient Coin Cleaning Question - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,650
burrito49 New Member United States 2 Posts	Posted 10/23/2010 3:01 pm Hey everyone, I'm new here, so I'm sorry if this question has been asked a million times. I have been using a toothbrush with a little water and dish soap to try and clean some of the grime off some of my uncleaned ancient coins and I was curious how hard should I brush them? I was brushing one a little hard the other day and when I started to see something, it looked like a tiny bit of the mouth on the obverse was missing(from the emperor)...maybe it's just my imagination but I thought maybe I was going too hard on it. I have a medium tooth brush. BTW I've been switching off between olive oil and distilled water for soaking them. I put them in little jelly jars, but I don't cover the jar. Is that necessary? Thanks in advance for any replies! Andy Report this Post to the Staff

pls Rest in Peace United States 1729 Posts	Posted 10/23/2010 5:24 pm Brushing = scouring; you may as well use a Brillo pad! Don't do it. Soak in olive oil ... be patient; it could take up to a year ... and then rinse in distilled water. Pick off the crust with a toothpick, resoak, etc. Yeah, it takes time. You probably should cover the jars; olive oil can get smelly, and water can easily evaporate. Good luck! Report this Post to the Staff
Survivears New Member United States 14 Posts	Posted 10/23/2010 6:10 pm Yeah, it is a fact, I cut the value basically in half when I cleaned a Morgan Hot Lips. The lessons you remember are the ones that hurt, either physically or mentally. Report this Post to the Staff
echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 10/23/2010 6:15 pm to the community If you are using a soft bristle toothbrush, us shouldn't be able to do any damage to the coin. You will probably go through a lot of brushes though. Report this Post to the Staff
pls Rest in Peace United States 1729 Posts	Posted 10/23/2010 11:32 pm Well ... if you're still dealing with only the "concrete" covering the surface of the coin, anything will do. I use an old Swiss army knife to take off the top layers of dirt, shaving it off in layers. But once you expose the surface of the coin, those microscopic particles of dirt act like fine-grit sandpaper, and a toothbrush will just grind them across the surface and remove the patina and even particles of bronze. I'd even be careful with a toothpick when you expose the surface. The key is to be patient and let the coin soak, soak, soak so that the dirt comes off easily. I've been soaking one of my coins for several years now! Report this Post to the Staff
burrito49 New Member United States 2 Posts	Posted 10/24/2010 01:37 am Thanks for all the info! Maybe I'll try a soft tooth brush next time.(I did use some tooth picks too which worked pretty good for the lettering on the coin) The coins I got are pretty horrible. I got them from a place called grandmas vault on E-bay. Maybe after a few more months in the olive oil they'll look better? I got a set a few years ago that I got impatient with and gave up on, so I'm working on those ones again too. I think I have one decent one out of both lots I have. I have decided that any lot I bid on in the future is going to have an actual picture. Otherwise I'm going to get another crusty pile of garbage. Thanks again! Andy Report this Post to the Staff
CanadianCoinGuy Valued Member Canada 54 Posts	Posted 01/12/2011 5:34 pm Boil them with 2 Tbl spoons of arm & hammer washing soda for 20 min,let cool in pot and go back to mineral water(NO tap water after boiling).Then HIGH magnification and soft tools Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 6 / Views: 1,650

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