Does Light Washing Dirt Off Devalue Coins?

O dear... please, no toothbrush...

Thanks a lot Scooby :)

I have Sunlight dishsoap and a soft toothbrush then pat dry with a terry towel. Some of the coins, especially the pre 1970's have lots of caked on dirt in and around the devices. While some would come off with soaking, I'm sure, a lot needs a little help to brush it off, or brush the dirt off that the soaking didn't loosen.

I would think the decision to mess with a coin by cleaning it is a judgement call depending on the coin too so thanks for that headsup. I think if it were a really super key date and possibly pretty valuable, I wouldn't touch it but get someone else to restore it properly.

Some of what I want to wash the dirt from are coins like the 1962 because there's too much dirt to see if its a guitar or harp, or another date could be a hanging number etc.

So would sunlight soap also destroy the patina of a coin? (wouldn't want to do that to a coin that might be worth quite a bit, or a lot)

The best thing to do is place all of those dirty coins in a sock and put in with your wash in a washing machine. Next the dryer. Since it is a known fact that socks vanish in a washer or dryer, so those coins too will vanish and no more dirty coins.
DO NOT WASH COINS. I've mentioned this many times. Dish soaps are all different. And even the same brands change formulae periodically to stop compitition from copying. Tap water everywhere on Earth is different also. If you use tap watter if may contain salts, Flourides, Chlorides, Oxides and all sort of STUFF. If you have a water softener, that water is really bad for coins, plants and many other things. Almost any brush will leave lines on coins. Some coins are softer than you think so lines are accumulative. In other words the more you use a brush on them, the more the lines will be there.
IF you really have to, just allow them to soak in distilled water and air dry with a hair dryer on warm.
DO NOT CLEAN COINS.

Oopsie must have been thinking of Ambergris musk oil

Ok, on shopping list: distilled water. I've never bought distilled water before that I'm aware of. Occassionally I buy bottled drinking water, not mineral!, is this "distilled"? I've never noticed (you can tell I'm not a health food nut when it comes to brands of bottled waters)

I think I'd air dry. Sounds like Dryer Coins don't sell

Thanks you Just Carl & Xshift!

For dirty coins, I just rub them gently between my fingers with very soapy water.
That way, I clean my fingers as well! Just thoroughly rinse and dry the coin er, and fingers as well! Circulated gold responds to this treatment best. I never brush any coin.

Nevertheless, the points just carl makes are right. I only use this method on coins up to EF. Acetone is the way to go with coins in uncirculated or better condition.

I rarely have the need to clean ANY coin.

The answer to the question in my opinion: for coins below EF grade: No.

Hi Dottir, I also get some coins here covered with tar, after being submerged in some river bed for some decades

You would need a 24x loupe to see the dirt, reason is even using very soft tissue to clean the coin, leaves scratches on the coin. Using the 24x loupe you can see that the scratches are actually on the Dirt, and Not on the metal of the coin.

to restore coin surface to the light of day, I just submerge the tar covered coin 5 sec in acetone and then submerge in water, with soap but use only your thumb to wipe off the dirt.

again I only use this restoring technique on hopeless coins covered with solid tar, these are quite common here in asia to find in dealer's large coin bowls selling at 20cents each

a coin I got from a coin bowl was covered with tar, but the little sheen looked promising, turned out to be a 1924 Fookien 20 cents & silver in VF-XF krause listed at $40! & I got it tar covered, at 20 cents

"Out damned spot!"...... (Shakespeare), and MacBeth was not trying to kick his dog out of the kitchen!