Cleaning Your Finds - Coin Community Forum

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 2,447
Agosos Valued Member Australia 155 Posts	Posted 11/06/2010 11:45 am I know cleaning coins is normally a no no,but I've recently dug up a few Aussie silver coins and a couple of them are caked with some hard muck.So I figure cleaning them should be ok,but how do I go about it? I've heard toothpaste works but what kind?triple swirl?blue mint? How do you clean your finds? Report this Post to the Staff

Waredu Valued Member United States 397 Posts	Posted 11/06/2010 11:48 am Soak in acetone, rinse in distilled water - that's all I will ever do. Most toothpaste is abrasive, even if you can't feel it in your mouth, the coin most definitely will show the swirl marks. Report this Post to the Staff
Agosos Valued Member Australia 155 Posts	Posted 11/06/2010 12:29 pm I used to work in a quarry that milled sand into a fine powder.We sold tons of it to colgate.It's the same sand that's in ajax,just milled finer. Report this Post to the Staff
specksynder Pillar of the Community United States 1080 Posts	Posted 11/06/2010 1:48 pm agree - no toothpaste! You use that to rub out the scratches in a CD because of its abrasive qualities. I suggest, soak in distilled water, soak in acetone, rinse with distilled water, soak in xylene, rinse with distilled water, pat dry. The acetone and xylene do their work in mere seconds - less than a minute - so don't be soaking overnight or anything. Remember, if you're unsure, experiment with a junk coin first. Report this Post to the Staff
Zarboy Valued Member South Africa 169 Posts	Posted 11/06/2010 5:26 pm There is lots of threads on here on how the guys clean ancient coins "Roman" etc, that method is to soak it in Olive oil for a period of time, I would think that the method will work the same for you on the recent coins, it should just take quicker. Maybe a few months rather than a few years as with the roman coins, I have some romans lying in Olive oil for more that one year, I know there are some guys on the forum that have it in there for much longer. In the end you have to decide if there is probably a "Valuable" coin in there, and you do not want to risk it by destroying it do you,? so maybe edging towards the cautious side untill you can see if you have valuable or junk would be my suggestion. Report this Post to the Staff
Agosos Valued Member Australia 155 Posts	Posted 11/06/2010 11:52 pm I actually have a batch of romans I've been cleaning for awhile now,I was kinda hoping for a quicker way ;) I can see the years on the coins and there is nothing to valuable there.I'll give the acetone bath a go.I'm going out for another swing this arvo,looks like rain though. Report this Post to the Staff
pls Rest in Peace United States 1729 Posts	Posted 11/07/2010 08:41 am Never scrub a coin if you can see its surface. Period. Unless you getting it ready for melt. Report this Post to the Staff
fistfulladirt Pillar of the Community United States 4333 Posts	Posted 12/25/2010 12:26 pm If you want to ruin an old coin in the long-term, soak it in olive-oil. It's organic and the acids will continue to "clean" the coin over the years. When I listen to LED ZEPPELIN...so do my neighbors... Roll hunting since '77 Dirt fishing since '72 Report this Post to the Staff
	Replies: 7 / Views: 2,447

To participate in the forum you must log in or register.

All Forums Category: Metal Detecting Forums Forum: Metal Detecting

The First Dollar, your premier source for bullion and rare coins. See our bullion list on the site and the coin inventory on ebay.

Silver Gold Bull US is the United States leading bullion dealer. We deliver gold coins, gold bars, silver coins, silver bars and precious metals to your door. Order today!

View Last 100 New Topics

View Last 100 Active Topics

Disclaimer: While a tremendous amount of effort goes into ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in this site, Coin Community assumes no liability for errors. Copyright 2005 - 2026 Coin Community Family- all rights reserved worldwide. Use of any images or content on this website without prior written permission of Coin Community or the original lender is strictly prohibited.
Contact Us | Advertise Here | Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

Coin Community Forum

It took 0.26 seconds to rattle this change.