Cleaning coins?

I was wondering how to go about cleaning a coin every thing I read says not to... I read something that says u can run under water and dap it dry... can u wipe with a glasses cloth to get ride of any oils and such before placing in a 2by2 fold? What are your recommendations on how to clean a coin without ruining it before placing in a fold. I don’t want to ruin any value the coins may have.

Thanks in advance

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I'd look up threads on using 100% acetone.

 

Take no notice of that...Acetone is used to drop stamps in when wanting to detect a watermark and to make the wmk stand out clearer. Then when the stamp is taken out of the solution , it can be picked up with tweezers, waved in the air a few times and it will dry immediately...IT WILL NOT DISTURB THE GUM so no need paying a proffessional to identify the WMK...

Personally i use olive oil and a toothpick to clean coins if it is necessary....
Oil does not take away the coins color and a toothpick does not scratch the coin as it is wood and wood does no harm to metal...To place the olive oil on the coin ( if you dont want it in salad lol ) get a cotton bud or cotton swab and saturate the cotton in the oil...Then saturate both sides with the oil and wait 2 hours or so for the oil to penetrate the dirt and grime so it lifts easier. Have the coin stand up on the rim so both sides get air to it... Then when the 2 hours or so has passed , with a toothpock go through all the lettering and finer points to lift up the grime etc...Then redo the oil again but with a fresh cotton swab, take what bits are left in the lettering and remove it all.. I might suggest you practice on really cheap low graded coins with vertigris to get experience....Just remember if the job is not done properly, a professional will be able to notice.
I personally use a jewellers loupe at 10 times magnification to check my work.
These can be purchased under $20 from any jeweller supplier or coin shop.
The olive oil repels water so i would stay away from using water... On top of that, the oil does not remove lustre and coins color but water does.....Now with the acetone, i like the smell of it better than aeroplane model glue so use it for that...heh heh heh... BUT SERIOUSLY ONE SHOULD NEVER EVER CLEAN A COIN!!!! That is why there are so many grades...It is also stated in many books that one should not clean coins but rules are made for breaking...correct???..I have scanned the page for you out of my reference book. if you are still unsure, go to the library and check for yourself....Lots of luck

 

There's nothing wrong with "cleaning" a coin, but the key is to do it right and isn't something just anyone can stumble into the hobby and do.

The "never clean coins" advice is mostly intended for those who do not know any better, and is intended to help such folks not cause unnecessary and self-defeating damage.

Exactly what kind of coins are you wishing to "clean"?

 

Please do not spread this potentially damaging information to new collectors. Olive oil is mildly acidic and can damage or discolor coins if it is not completely removed. It can also cause copper coins to discolor.

It probably won't harm cheap coins too much, but I would never, ever, suggest this to newbies. Also, Wood from a toothpick may not damage a circulated coin, but what if the material you're removing is has hard particles adhered to it? Easy to scratch the surface in those situations.

What do you do about the residual oil left on the coin?

Acetone will remove many organic compounds on a coin and will not react with metal or toning (for clarity, there may be a very specific situation where it may darken copper, but it is highly unlikely that most collectors will encounter it). In addition, acetone will remove PVC decomposition residue that is acidic and damage coins. However, acetone is a chemical and you don't want to play with it if you don't have some experience.

However, you may want to practice on inexpensive coins first to get an idea

 

Whatever you do don't use salt and vinegar, I did this when I first started and I have regretted ever since. JMHO
Dave

 

nah...i only put salt and vingar on my fish n chips

 

I no when I first started I saw a video on YouTube about cleaning, I took a whole bag of wheats and cleaned them what a mistake.
Dave

 

To answer oldhoopster, i just did a test with some litmus paper on some olive oil and you are wrong...The paper did not show any red / pink/ ruby etc color.... Therefore it leans towards basic....if a coin is graded VF or better, the olive oitl will not be needed....It is only needed on the lower grades. I am now 60 and have been doing this excersize with the oil since i was 17 so something must be correct....There is no way i would do this on RF or better as it has enough collectible desire already...have a ncie day

 

Dave...try the olive oil and the cirrin swab on some of the coins....leave for a couple of days then use a toothpick ro get the grime out.... Dont use high graded coins as you dont need to do that...

 

Well I appreciate that but after my big mistake doing the salt and vinegar I decided I'll never clean another coin.

If it has any value then I will find someone to clean it, then if they screw up then they can pay me for there mistake.
Dave

 

This is something that really needs to be addressed more often on this board, and for this reason I'm glad you brought it up again.

YouTube may be a great site with many beneficial uses, but it has an appalling amount of misleading to outright misinformation regarding coins. Even I was very surprised to learn that many of the larger coin-related channels are no better than the smaller ones started by obvious newbies, and is really a shame. This isn't to say all "channels" are this way, but anyone looking for solid numismatic info would be wise to instead frequent the forums. Even if far from perfect, at least most of the misinformation spewed here is countered by the more knowledgeable and caring members.

 

I agree once I realized what I had done that's when I discovered CT, I knew there had to be a site that would give me basic info.

And then it was up to me to try to educate myself so I wouldn't make that mistake again.
Dave

 

To be honest, it is only the people that are about 45 years of age and older that are into the hobby...Kids have no intrest and cant afford anything and when they get into their 20's, they are looking to settle down in a crareer and have a family so there is no money around for the collecting...i was a dealer in australia ( 1977 - 2011 ) and saw this 1st hand...Kids want computers, mobile phones and pizza ... Middle aged are looking at paying for weddings so it leaves the older generation and they are dieing off..So who is left???...That is why i melt a lot of my stuff to turn it over...

 

As is often the case, every "expert" has an opinion. Even that "Cleaning Coins" page above incorrectly refers to scratches on Uncirculated coins as BAGMARKS! That's when I stopped reading.

IMO, this is the best post so far:

BooksB4Coins, posted: "There's nothing wrong with "cleaning" a coin, but the key is to do it right and isn't something just anyone can stumble into the hobby and do.

The "never clean coins" advice is mostly intended for those who do not know any better, and is intended to help such folks not cause unnecessary and self-defeating damage.

Exactly what kind of coins are you wishing to "clean"?"

This should have been the first response to your question. Does everyone see why?

I've been cleaning coins professionally for a very long time. There are entire books written on the subject of conserving metal objects. Post some images of your coin so we can help you.

 

It gets so old reading these fallacies over and over and over. Collectors have always been older generations of society for at least 60 plus years. It’s clearly not the same 70 year olds at a show. Teenagers/kids grow up, middle aged people get older, there’s also plenty of evidence of younger participation everywhere and this thread has even mentioned it several times.

 

What at your thoughts on acetone?

 

Sorry, but that's not the way litmus paper works, and it misses the point about olive oil.

Litmus paper is fine if you've got an aqueous solution -- an acid or base dissolved in water. If you've got an acid dissolved in oil, it won't turn litmus paper pink unless it's really concentrated. But it can still attack a metal surface.

Olive oil almost always contains a little bit of acid. It's not strong acid, and it won't attack metal quickly. But it also won't evaporate away; it'll sit there indefinitely, slowly chewing away at the oxide layer on the coin's surface, and possibly the metal itself.

As for the toothpick, as @Oldhoopster said, what if it's pushing grit around on the coin?

It sounds like you're coming from an ancient-coin background. Once a coin has already been buried for many centuries, the rules for handling it are a little different.

 

I’m talking about cleaning some wheat pennies to have a wheat collection. Or any other pennies I come across that seem unique or worth more then face value. I don’t want to get into any elaborate cleaning method that involves experience and great knowledge when it comes to cleaning a coin. So I should avoid water? Can I wipe them with a “soft glasses cloth”or should I not touch them at all. I wouldn’t want to effect any future value they could have or may have. I was just looking to clean a little bit before placing into a 2by2 fold for collecting. To get rid of any oils from handling that could end up effecting the coin.

 

It depends on what you want to remove. If the copper is actually discolored through toning or environmental damage, there isn't much you can do without it being noticeable. If it is "crud" (softer dirt or other build up) you could try soapy water. Don't rub too much and rinse thoroughly.

An acetone soak works great on most of the "crud" type buildups. Search some of the previous posts in the archives to find "how too"