(LIKE A PRO)HOW TO GET THOSE COINS AND BUTTONS CLEAN

[vancemetaldetecting.com]

Well everyone I have had lots of questions on this forum and others alike on how I get my coins and buttons so clean, and after explain it a thousand and two times I decided to take the advice of another member and do a How to instructional video, I hope it helps everyone, I use this technique on most all my finds after I do a boiling peroxide bath.. Enjoy again hope this helps!!

[video]http://youtu.be/qkSKbW43S4c[/video]

 

[WoofWoof]

Sorry but I'm not buying into cleaning like this. Just let them soak in olive oil for a week or so and then rinse & lightly brush. Removing the patina in an acid bath can and will ruin the coins' value.

 

[hamdit]

patina is easy to create after cleaning.

3 methods are :

1. making real patina : amonia gas, place the coin on a raised platform in a container, put amonia in the container (do not let it touch the coin) and let it sit for a couple of hours, the longer it sits the thicker the patina.

2. fake patina: sulfur powder, rinse the coin and while wet dip it in fulfur powder and burn it, it will leave an patina like look.

3. fake patina: make the coin black under a flame of a candle, with a light brush you can thin it down and after that dip it in paraffin to seal it (with paper towel damp the coin while hot for a really thin layer of paraffin)
paraffin also found in tealight's, melt it down and keep it melted (dont heat too much, take your time as paraffin can be dangerous at high temp's)

 

[Andy Sabisch]

Interesting video but as has been said, cleaning coins or relics that have any real value should not be attempted, especially using acid. Having worked with number of archaeologists over the years here and abroad, I can say that when coins or relics are recovered, the techniques they use are very mild and slow to complete.

Several years ago I recovered a New Jersey colonial which was encrusted and someone in the club suggested an acid bath . . . . well, it cleaned the encrustation off in no time . . . as well as any detail that it had when found. I still have that coin which now is simply a round copper disc as a reminder as to what can happen if cleaning is too aggressive.

I evrn cringe when I see videos where someone finds a coin and rubs the dirt away to read the date. When I find a coin that is clearly not current, I put it in a container with cotton balls and forget about it. Soaking it in water and carefully cleaning the dirt from the date is always the start - anything worth more then bullion or melt gets careful cleaning after that.

As far as what professional coin dealers use, I do not think that they use acid dips since there is a grade when you get coins slabbed that indicate the coin was cleaned and that detracts from the value. I have dealt with several of the coin galleries ove rthe years and the one message they always say is "Leave any cleaning to the professionals."

Just a word of caution since the newer detectors are finding coins that are worth $$$ and can make great additions to collections. ANACS offers professional grading for coins treasure hunters recover and are the only service to do so - they classify them as "Environmentally Challenged" and is a way to get your better coins preserved.

ANACS Coin Grading Options Brochure

If I find a silver coin that is worth nothing other than the silver content and I want to remove tarnish so I can put it in my collection, some silver polish paste does an great job in seconds and is a good deal safer than sulfuric acid baths.

Just a perspective to consider when cleaning your finds . . . . .

And one last comment . . . . your use of saftey equipment is commendable since injuries can and do occur all the time when least expecting them BUT I would never use acid and the like in the house and where I cook food. I have used techniques that involve chemicals for various applications but the garage is about as close as I would bring them as far as the house goes. You never know when something spills and impacts the sink, floor, counter, carpet or even worse, someone living in the house. Just an observation

Andy

 

[vancemetaldetecting.com]

Absolutely Andy I agree 100%, which is why I stress repeatedly don't clean your valuable coins this way!! However if you have mercs and stuff that you want to look nice give them a dip!! But again I agree DO NOT CLEAN VALUABLE COINS THIS WAY! PERIOD..... I hope people listen

Interesting video but as has been said, cleaning coins or relics that have any real value should not be attempted, especially using acid. Having worked with number of archaeologists over the years here and abroad, I can say that when coins or relics are recovered, the techniques they use are very mild and slow to complete.

Several years ago I recovered a New Jersey colonial which was encrusted and someone in the club suggested an acid bath . . . . well, it cleaned the encrustation off in no time . . . as well as any detail that it had when found. I still have that coin which now is simply a round copper disc as a reminder as to what can happen if cleaning is too aggressive.

I evrn cringe when I see videos where someone finds a coin and rubs the dirt away to read the date. When I find a coin that is clearly not current, I put it in a container with cotton balls and forget about it. Soaking it in water and carefully cleaning the dirt from the date is always the start - anything worth more then bullion or melt gets careful cleaning after that.

As far as what professional coin dealers use, I do not think that they use acid dips since there is a grade when you get coins slabbed that indicate the coin was cleaned and that detracts from the value. I have dealt with several of the coin galleries ove rthe years and the one message they always say is "Leave any cleaning to the professionals."

Just a word of caution since the newer detectors are finding coins that are worth $$$ and can make great additions to collections. ANACS offers professional grading for coins treasure hunters recover and are the only service to do so - they classify them as "Environmentally Challenged" and is a way to get your better coins preserved.

ANACS Coin Grading Options Brochure

If I find a silver coin that is worth nothing other than the silver content and I want to remove tarnish so I can put it in my collection, some silver polish paste does an great job in seconds and is a good deal safer than sulfuric acid baths.

Just a perspective to consider when cleaning your finds . . . . .

And one last comment . . . . your use of saftey equipment is commendable since injuries can and do occur all the time when least expecting them BUT I would never use acid and the like in the house and where I cook food. I have used techniques that involve chemicals for various applications but the garage is about as close as I would bring them as far as the house goes. You never know when something spills and impacts the sink, floor, counter, carpet or even worse, someone living in the house. Just an observation

Andy

 

[Hauptmann aD]

Hi,
once found a zinc coin, which had details visible until I tried to clean it with water. Found out the hard way that all which still was holding the details was the oxide layer.

A nasty finding here in Europe are also the most coins consisting from billon - looking like silver, but the main metal is copper. So any more or less aggressive method of cleaning by acid may cause the copper to disappear or bleed out.
On the silver and billon coins with hat unfortunate crusty black layer also silver polish will not help well. Sometimes mechanical methods (from using wet baking soda crystals to a brush) are uncovering the face of the coin, sometimes nothing helps.

Best greetings from Germany
Olaf

 

[vancemetaldetecting.com]

Hi,
once found a zinc coin, which had details visible until I tried to clean it with water. Found out the hard way that all which still was holding the details was the oxide layer.

A nasty finding here in Europe are also the most coins consisting from billon - looking like silver, but the main metal is copper. So any more or less aggressive method of cleaning by acid may cause the copper to disappear or bleed out.
On the silver and billon coins with hat unfortunate crusty black layer also silver polish will not help well. Sometimes mechanical methods (from using wet baking soda crystals to a brush) are uncovering the face of the coin, sometimes nothing helps.

Best greetings from Germany
Olaf

Hey Olaf I can appreciate your concerns but this acid dip and you can research this if you like does not actually remove metal and if it does it's because you left it overnight!! As I explain in the video, the chemical reaction does something with the ions cause the silver copper or nickel to release the tarnish or iron oxide (rust) off of iron type metals, I am talking about a quick 60 second to 3 minute dip up to 10! Try it on one you have laying around its actually not as harsh as one may think!! However it is acid even though a low grade it's still acid and will eat metal if left too long!!!

 

[Hobo lobo]

I use a stiff wire brush and a file...... LOL

 

[PryorCreekJoe]

Jan 3 2003, I dug a seated quarter. I rinsed it off in a creek that was only a few away. Seeing that it was an 1854 O, I put it in a film canister with cotton balls. When I got home I put it in a solution of Dawn dish washing soap and water and let it soak some more. I then gently cleaned the rest of the dirt off with a very soft tooth brush. It was in very good condition. I looked the quarter up in my old Redbook and was amazed to see that it was what they called a "Huge O" and it had a "huge" dollar amount showing in the value column under VF 40 which appeared to be close to the grade it appeared to be. I sent it in to PCGS and paid them $100 to get it slabbed. When it came back, there was on "Genuine 1854 Huge O" on the slab. I called them up about why it didn't have a grade on it and they informed me that my "Cleaning" had taken it from a VF rated coin to a "cleaned" coin.
BTW, according to the "Standing Liberty Quarter" forum, there are less than 200 of the 1854 Huge O quarters in existence and 60% are owned by one person. And only about 6 of the 200 have a grade of VF 35 or greater. So basically I took a coin that could have been worth about $7000 to one worth maybe $4000. And that was with very very gently cleaning.
Now that I know that there are some very rare coins out there, EVERY coin I dig get respect until otherwise proven to be common or "melt" value.

 

[vancemetaldetecting.com]

Jan 3 2003, I dug a seated quarter. I rinsed it off in a creek that was only a few away. Seeing that it was an 1854 O, I put it in a film canister with cotton balls. When I got home I put it in a solution of Dawn dish washing soap and water and let it soak some more. I then gently cleaned the rest of the dirt off with a very soft tooth brush. It was in very good condition. I looked the quarter up in my old Redbook and was amazed to see that it was what they called a "Huge O" and it had a "huge" dollar amount showing in the value column under VF 40 which appeared to be close to the grade it appeared to be. I sent it in to PCGS and paid them $100 to get it slabbed. When it came back, there was on "Genuine 1854 Huge O" on the slab. I called them up about why it didn't have a grade on it and they informed me that my "Cleaning" had taken it from a VF rated coin to a "cleaned" coin.
BTW, according to the "Standing Liberty Quarter" forum, there are less than 200 of the 1854 Huge O quarters in existence and 60% are owned by one person. And only about 6 of the 200 have a grade of VF 35 or greater. So basically I took a coin that could have been worth about $7000 to one worth maybe $4000. And that was with very very gently cleaning.
Now that I know that there are some very rare coins out there, EVERY coin I dig get respect until otherwise proven to be common or "melt" value.

I agree 100% with what your saying again this is for coins that are only worth there melt value! There's ZERO exceptions to that rule!!

 

[Andy Sabisch]

There are many other options that can remove tarnish other than acid which can have some disasterous consequences if not used properly and even if spilled in places such as the kitchen shown in the video . . . . metal sink + sulphic acid = bad results

Some other options to consider - [size=x-large]AND ONLY FOR COINS THAT ARE WORTH MELT OR BULLION . . . NOT COLLECTIBLE COINS[/size] - include the following:

1) Silver Cleaning Plates

2) Aluminum Foil & Baking Soda

3) Plain old silver polish paste picked up at the store

Slower and safer is always better and as Joe said, often not cleaning is the best option of all if there is any value to the coin . . . .

As one of the coin grading sites states . . . "Never try to remove the natural oxidation from coins, such as the tarnish on silver. This is called "toning" and the coin is worth more with it intact. Removing it will damage the coin's surface and greatly reduce its value. In other words, no dipping, polishing, or chemical solutions should ever be used on coins."

So the final call is yours . . . . just hate to see that one coin that could have paid for all your equipment and then some turn into a filler piece.

One voice in the woods . . . .

Andy