I have just received 2 coins in the mail and was wondering what you guys would do for conservation. The first one has a tape stripe and some grime around it (left). The one on the right has yellow tape on both sides that I need to remove, but need to be careful because it is fragile tape and pulls apart easily.
Acetone to remove the tape and glue. Not unc. or very high grade, so you won't hurt them. Just soak and dab gently with a q-tip unless you have a sonic bath.
The acetone should take care of the tape, but the toning can only be dealt with using some eZest and a Q-Tip carefully.
Pull as much tape off as you can by hand. Use a wooden toothpick to get under it if you need. It won't hurt the coin. Good to ask before starting if you don't know for sure.
I don't think I'd try that, not with eZest. Doing it that way would leave the solution on the coin far too long and it would damage the coin. I readily agree eZest will remove the toning, but there's a better, safer way to use it. For a situation like this I think I'd dilute it a bit with distilled water, maybe 25%, and then quickly dip the coin. And when I say quick I mean like 1 second in the solution, and then immediately rinse thoroughly in distilled water. If the toning is not removed to your satisfaction then repeat, same scenario. Ezest is a quite robust coin dip, in other words it's pretty strong. So you never want to leave it on the coin for more than a second or two, even diluted. So two bowls side by side, one with the solution the other with distilled water. Hold the coin by the edges, dip it, then immediately into the water and swish thoroughly.
OK, that might be better. Trying to treat one side or one small part of a coin is tricky, I use the Q-tip method and am ready to douse it in running water.
