cleaning coins

Okay, if we are talking about cleaning coins that are to be turned into jewelry and therefore have no collector value, then it makes perfect sense to clean them, and make them as shiny and bright as possible. Many ways to do that, but here's my question, and I've wondered about it for a while now: how well, or not, would it work to put said coins and a bunch of flour, cornmeal or some other such thing into your basic vibrating cartridge cleaner? If something like flour could clean coins without damaging the patina or scratching the coin surface in any way, what would that mean for someone who collects just for the sake of collecting rather than as an investment?

 

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My favourite laboratory tale involves acetone, the six-year-old son of an Indian post-doc, and a handful of styrofoam packing peanuts. The little guy was looking kind of lost after a while, parked on a high stool by one of the benches. So, I took a squeeze-bottle of acetone and one of water, and a few styrofoam peanuts. I put one of the peanuts on the bench in front of him and squirted a little acetone on it, making it promptly disappear. Then I dropped another one in front of him and handed him the squeeze-bottle of water. He squirted it, and of course nothing happened, so he squirted it again, and again, looking more and more perplexed. Still nothing, so I gave it a little shot of acetone, and it disappeared. He was amazed. Being a bit of a joker, I then gave a little shot of acetone on his bare leg. Well, he got the most disgusted look on his face, hopped down from the stool and started to walk over to the sink to get a paper towel to clean it off. His dad, who had been watching this all with some amusement, asked him what was wrong. Still disgusted, the little guy said that I squirted him. His dad asked him where, so he turned around and stuck his leg out to show him. Of course, by this time the acetone had completely evaporated away. You wouldn't believe how big the little guy's eyes got when he couldn't find that wet spot on his leg anymore.
If you are going to use acetone, though, take a lesson from this tale: it is very, very volatile. It has a pungent smell, but your nose very quickly becomes used to it. The vapours are both highly flammable and somewhat narcotic (they can put you to sleep). So, good ventilation and no open flames or spark sources, okay?

 

ok

 

I would never touch a valuable coin with anything. But for your collection, acetone is favorable to me. I just cleaned an ugly Franklin junk silver in acetone and it looks great now. It honestly does not look like junk anymore. It already had some scratch marks. It did not take them out, but it looks fine In my collection.

 

If I am understanding you, ToppCatt, carrying the coin around in my pocket is, literally, what you are suggesting? The idea of gentle wearing at whatever caused the discoloration sounds interesting.

BTW, I should note that this, one of the two rarest of Peace Dollars, came to me as something of a lagniappe. The seller offered it to me far below the going rate for, admittedly, better-looking examples on eBay. I saw it as a means of just having it to complete a collection. The more I look at it, though, the more I realize how lucky I was to be in the right place at the right time. It's all the 1928 I'll ever need.

 

Will do.

 

I carried a 1900 Morgan, about an EF40, around for at least 6 months after a week in acetone didn't do a thing to lighten it up. It was much darker than your 1928S. I wouldn't mess with the 1928 tho.

 

LA_Geezer, posted: If I am understanding you, ToppCatt, carrying the coin around in my pocket is, literally, what you are suggesting? The idea of gentle wearing at whatever caused the discoloration sounds interesting."

DON'T DO IT! Chemicals are used to remove color from coins, not more wear.

I thought this member was making a JOKE! Apparently, he was serious. The ONLY coins to carry around in a pocket (old time dealer trick) are harshly cleaned, buffed, damaged, or polished. It tends to make the problems less noticeable and you have to add a bunch of other coins in your pocket and do it for several months in order to get any results.

 

Yeah, I wondered about the validity of 'cleaning' a coin by subjecting it to normal wear and tear rather than other methods. I also have to wonder about the actual value of a currency coin that is so junked up that it would need cleaning in order to see what it actually is anyway. A collectible is one thing, and it makes sense to be able to identify it accurately. But doesn't adding more wear to the coin by carrying it around just make it a circulated coin and lower its potential value? This topic is getting to be a can of worms that somebody needs to put a lid on.

 

This reminds me that I have a Roosevelt Dime — probably from the fifties — That might make a great "practice coin." I haven't looked at it in a few years but IIRC it has a lot of surface junk on it. But as I recall the lines in some movie or TV show, I guess I should zip the lip and take a trip.

 

Yes, I get how that works. Thanks for that explanation, GDJMSP. So what you are telling me is that if I were to clean coins in a cartridge tumbler like I mentioned earlier, get them all shiny but covered with millions of tiny, tiny scratches that effectively ruin their collector value though you probably need a microscope to see them, then carry those coins around in my pocket for a long time so all those tiny, tiny scratches get beaten down and smoothed over, they will effectively get most of their collector value back and be nice, shiny coins again. Like I said, a can of worms that needs a lid.

 

I clean all my circulated coins with soap and water. They've already been handled a bazillion times before I got them so one more handling isn't going to hurt them any.

 

Richard M. Renneboog, posted: "Yes, I get how that works. Thanks for that explanation, GDJMSP. So what you are telling me is that if I were to clean coins in a cartridge tumbler like I mentioned earlier, get them all shiny but covered with millions of tiny, tiny scratches that effectively ruin their collector value though you probably need a microscope to see them, then carry those coins around in my pocket for a long time so all those tiny, tiny scratches get beaten down and smoothed over, they will effectively get most of their collector value back and be nice, shiny coins again. Like I said, a can of worms that needs a lid."

The only lid that should be closed is on your tumbler.

davidh, posted: "I clean all my circulated coins with soap and water. They've already been handled a bazillion times before I got them so one more handling isn't going to hurt them any."

That's really great, it is very lucky for all of us that more "caretakers" of our coins in the past did not do what you do!

 

Hey Doug @GDJMSP time to show your AGE again...

 

Most collectors with some experience will be able to easily tell that the surface of the coin is different from one straight from the mint or a problem free circulated coin.

Maybe to add some clarification, an AU coin that has been cleaned to an unnatural shine and has numerous hairlines may be only worth 20% of a problem-free AU coin. Carry it your pocket for a year, wear off the hairlines, and let it start to retone and you may have a coin that grades XF and may be worth 80% of the value of a problem-free XF. If 80% of the XF value is more than 20% of the AU value, you win.

Regardless of what you do, it will never be worth the same as an original coin in the original condition

 

I have tried the Styrofoam and acetone experiment and can confirm what green18 says. Not good combination. It is sort of interesting to watch, but it will make a mess.

 

Don't rub or wipe your coins with anything! This can and will damage the surface. Use a high percentage alcohol for any light cleaning no rubbing blot dry with a soft towel. The best way is to contact a pro and have your coin restored.