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Coin cleaning

dewcon4414

dewcon4414

Well-known member
I find and see all these nasty looking coins.... the before and then the after shots. How are you cleaning them... especially those wheats? Ive not found a great method yet for cleaning the copper. Im pretty content with COIN CARE and Q-tips for cleanning silver or even a little bar tenders friend, but the copper is tuff if it gets the crud. Tumbling and electralisis can really destroy them if you are not careful. There should be something short of dinomite to get that heavy bubble gum corrosion off. Ill give you a couple of dont.... dont use brass-o on silver. It removes about anything from it, but sometimes leaves them looking unnatural. Dont mix your copper and silver when tumbling them. Dont forget if you use anything like potatoes, tomatoes or things with acid to dip them in some water with bakeing soda to stop the process.

Dew
 
Hi, I will clean common wheats with a small brass brush and a little dishwashing liquid. You can also use a tumbler with some fish tank gravel and water...I add a little lemon juice to the water. Obviously don't try these techniques on any good copper coins.
 
here's what I do with silver...and I posted this in a response to my post about the barber quarter too.

I just rinse it in warm water...then rub a smidge of baking soda between the finger and thumb...then rub gently for a few seconds.
That's all there is to it.

I have been told you are NOT supposed to do this...but I am NOT a collector...and I DON'T sell any of my finds. I just love finding the stuff.

For me...this gentle method works like a charm..and the silver looks awesome to me.

I don't do it on valuable coins...and most of the valuable coins I've found are crummy condition anyway...so no since cleaning them.

On some of the silver though...a tiny smidge of baking soda and warm water works well on silver.
 
Like Bryce I like my silver clean - I'll never sell my coins - so I use some toothpaste and a soft tooth brush after rinsing the coin with soap and water first to remove any dirt. Really makes the silver look nice. I remember someone posting a method that willstop them frm tarnishing again, but I don't remember what it was. Regards, Erik
 
All my wheat pennies I soak in peroxide and use a toothbrush to scrub them once or twice a day till they are clean. Then I rub them with a smidgen of olive oil. That's as close as I can get them to looking like they came out of circulation. ( except for those that came out of the ground pitted , corroded - I don't think they can be much improved )
 
First of all NEVER touch or rub a coin unless you are sure it is not a valuable coin! This is very hard to do at the exciting moment of the find! If you want to clean copper just for the sake of indentifing it and bringing out some detail here's how: Get Hydrogen Peroxide from a beauty supply store. Heat a small amount in a microwave until it bubbles, I usually find 30 seconds is enough. Remove the Peroxide from the microwave and drop the coin in for several seconds. You should see results almost immediately. Repeat as often as needed.
 
i've collected coins for 42 years, since i was 4 years old.

when i was a little kid, i wanted all my coins to be as shiny as i could get them, so i used a pencil eraser. after a while, i began to notice that my coins would soon tarnish, and no amount of scrubbing would keep them 'clean' like i wanted.

in time, i started to appreciate the greenish patina of copper-based alloys, and that aged look of silver--the higher points typically shiny, set off by a darker background.

so now, when i rescue an old coin from the depths, i try to maintain the look of the ages while removing the dirt...much less labor intensive, really...i carry bottled water to stay hydrated in the field. when i bring a find to the van, i rinse the dirt off with a little water. usually that's all it takes for me to achieve a pleasing, natural-looking coin.

sometimes i'll use a little mild dish soap & a very soft toothbrush to remove stubborn dirt, but nothing else...with a singular exception: i do get pretty rough with wheaties & indian head cents that have a thick crust on them, but only because i am obsessed with dates & mint marks.

i've never sold anything i've found, but i'd like to keep my options open. once a coin is subjected to harsh cleaning, its value is greatly diminished, and that damage cannot be reversed
 
Ive tried every method mentioned and i know "whising" those old coins drive the collectors crazy. Ean, i think you would like the finished results from a Q-tip and Coin care. Doesnt remove anything but dirt, leaves the high points natural, and puts a protective coating. Bar tenders friend seems best for the copper because you can control the amount of damage you do to the coins. Then into a light coat of olive oil. Ive been collecting more coins lately from auctions... for anyone interested this is a great time to do it. A lot of good coins are changeing hands and many are being turned in for melting... its a good investment.

Dew
 
This is what I don't get.....We all have our methods, peroxide, baking soda, salt and vinegar, aluminum foil and ammonia, electrolysis, etc. What do the professional salvage rs do??? Those guys that are finding shipwrecks and such....are they using forced steam? I know they use electrolysis on the iron and bronze, but what are they doing to the coins? I have, I believe three or four different books on chemistry and cleaning coins, non give exacting detail and or an opinion of the best way. A whole lot of try this and try that, best books I have found so far are: "Cleaning and preservation of coins and medals" By: Durst and "Coin Chemistry including preservation and cleaning" 2nd Edition by: Weimar W White (deals mostly with silver coins) which is a shame because this guy knows his stuff and my coins that tend to need the most attention are definitely the copper ones. Does any one know where to get a forced steam jet nozzle system....if that's what it is even called:shrug:?
 
For silver I just rinse with water then lightly brush with a SOFT toothbrush and dish detergent (don't forget to rinse the detergent out before you brush your teeth later). BUT silver is easy - I'd like to know from others experience the best way to clean the old coppers and large cents. Here in CT the majority of time they are pretty knarly. What's the best way to at least bring out some detail without the coins looking like some body scoured the crap out of them. I like the green age patina (shows character ) - I'd rather have some detail along with the patina rather than have the coin scoured or coppery looking.
Bruce in Ct
 
About the best thing i find is Katchup for nickels to get the red off. That then a little Bar Tender friend.

Dew
 
Thanks for the information, Dew. I kind of like the red patina my Buff has, so I will probably try to use a method that retains this color. I mainly just want to remove the dirt/grime without lowering the coin's grade in the process. I wonder if hydrogen peroxide is effective on nickels? If so, maybe a quick shot of it would do the trick. Thanks again. JW
 
Nickels can be made to look "nickel" again but it takes a two step process: 1) Electrolysis to remove the majority of the corrosion and 2) Acid dipping in a weak ferric chloride solution (nic-a-date). Here's a guy that sells on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1918-D-OVER-7-BUFFALO-FULL-HORN-RESTORED_W0QQitemZ290283587885QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCoins_US_Individual?hash=item439640092d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

For most of what we find in the ground, it's just not worth the trouble.
 
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