Thread: To clean or not to Clean is the question

I have a question I bought a mint set 1961 UC and the penny and nickel are both corroded inside the celo packageing, if I want to see if the nickels are full steps they would need to be cleaned, otherwise their only good for one thing pocket change.
If I want to know whats under the crud they will need to be cleaned one way or the other I have read about using Electrolysis any thoughts. Thanks Bob,

These are still in the mint packaging, and I don't clean my coins but in this case the pennies and nickels are just blobs of rust. The person I bought them from stated they were in a safe all these years I felt like asking if the safe was full of water joke.

I will be honest I bought this mint set because I want the F/S nickels and without some form of cleaning these 2 nickels will never be known whether they are F/S or not. I will add the person I bought the mint sets from is not a collector, he inherited all these coins from his father who ran a local company and just stocked away items in a walk in safe.

So to Clean or not to clean

Thanks
Bob,

I personally would separate the set, and sell the good examples. Then I would go out and buy a mint set with the money you made. Mint sets are in the crapper right now, and it's a buyer's market. There is no reason to settle for sub-standard sets, or try fixing one of them.

I've heard of electrolytic cleaning with silver coins with decent results , but never with nickle . I'd try soakinging in hydrogen peroxide for a day as the coins you state are in a bad way anyway , it could'nt hurt .
rzage

Clean away - not sure of the best method since I have never done it. As it is I am not sure knowing if the nickels are FS or not matters. Sounds like you got a couple of good examples to practise on.

Originally Posted by bob01081969

I want to see if the nickels are full steps they would need to be cleaned, otherwise their only good for one thing pocket change.

I'd love to see some pics of this.

If I want to know whats under the crud they will need to be cleaned one way or the other I have read about using Electrolysis any thoughts. Thanks Bob,

Don't be hasty to do any cleaning just yet.

These are still in the mint packaging, and I don't clean my coins but in this case the pennies and nickels are just blobs of rust. The person I bought them from stated they were in a safe all these years I felt like asking if the safe was full of water joke.

Forget about cleaning the cent with anything other then a long olive oil soak. Copper coins don't do well with commercial cleaners. You'll ruin them.

I will be honest I bought this mint set because I want the F/S nickels and without some form of cleaning these 2 nickels will never be known whether they are F/S or not. I will add the person I bought the mint sets from is not a collector, he inherited all these coins from his father who ran a local company and just stocked away items in a walk in safe.

I have a thing for "Full Step" Jefferson's, specially the war nickels. Take your time, make contacts, the coins are out there. Online traders dealing with certified coins, also good way to acquire FS, if you have the money to afford it.

Good Luck and Keep on Collecting!!!

Allen

Well Here are 2 pictures I took one with them still in the celo and after I took them out

Maybe this one will be larger, not sure what to do with them. I am a F/S person and to find a 1961 F/S is one thing but the price for a ms graded one is another.

Originally Posted by bob01081969

Maybe this one will be larger, not sure what to do with them. I am a F/S person and to find a 1961 F/S is one thing but the price for a ms graded one is another.

wow. very ugly indeed. However I would NOT clean any coin, unless it poses a direct threat to the future of the coin's well being. thanks.

Originally Posted by bob01081969

Well Here are 2 pictures I took one with them still in the celo and after I took them out

Mint Sets are a great way to get BU coins. I enjoy collecting BU Year Sets. I have no problem busting out Mint Sets to acquire the coins I prefer. There are a great deal of these sets that have not been stored well or handled well, out there on the market. You have to be careful. I'm just patient and broke at the moment.

Good luck finding those FS 61's. I checked Teletrade and no 61's are selling in the next four auctions.

My BU 61's are 2-2-2-1 and 1-1-1-1 at best. They have great luster though.

Allen

With the environmental damage to me the coin is only worth a nickel - so I would say clean it.

I looked the steps over and the D mint might be a good one but the P looks like a none step. I am going to ask you guys and girls what might be the best way to clean them. I looked through my 20 power eye piece and among all the brown crap there is a lot of bule and gold, and if that being the case I would hate to lose such nice tonning but I fear any form of cleaning will also ruin any chance of saving the toning.

By the way I do have several ms 1961 both P and D the only reason I am messing with this set was the very faint chance of finding a F/S under the crud. As most collectors know a F/S 1961 is all most the holy grail of the nickel family. Thanks for all the input and glad I found this site and joined.

Bob,

Originally Posted by bob01081969

As most collectors know a F/S 1961 is all most the holy grail of the nickel family. Thanks for all the input and glad I found this site and joined.

Bob,

That I did not know, but I do now.

Thanks for sharing Bob.

Allen

Update tried the electrolysis and it took some of the crud off but nothing to brag about, oh well

The finest Uncirculated Full Step examples graded by PCGS are 8 MS-65's. The finest Uncirculated non-Full Step example graded by PCGS is a single MS-67

An ms65 full step is worth 4.750 so if you have any 1961 Uncirculated look at the steps. Worth more than gold lol if you find one.

Allen, I have never seen a F/S 1961 except a proof, I have looked at coin shows, and I have a dealer in Bangor looking. No I don't want to pay the $4.750 for one, but if a cert PCGS comes along I will think hard about it.

I agree with you Allen, the war nickels are nice I have a couple I bought slabed. The only reason I started the Nickels, was to put a simple set together with my 9 year old daughter, that was a mistake I was hooked on them after that.