Hello! Just curious, do any of you clean your coins? And if so how? I just got a silver Marie Theresa Thaler and a couple silver dollars and they are BLACK. I was wondering if silver cleaner would help or damage the coin instead. Thanks for any advice.
Dont clean your coins or use silver polish. Acetone or light soap & water *no hard scrubbing* is about it.
My recommendation is DO NOT CLEAN any coin you intend to put in your collection. anybody with any knowledge of coin grading will spot a cleaned coin in short time. However if you must experiment, do it on a common coin you found in circulation. When I was a youngster, my dad scolded me for attempting to clean some of my wheaties. At the time I thought he was just trying to just control my actions... turns out I didn't know everything like most teenagers these days do!!!
As is almost always true, there are exceptions to every rule. Yes, we most definitely tell everyone that cleaning their coins is a bad idea. However, what if a coin has PVC contamination ? Well in that case we tell them that they absolutely need to clean the coin - the PVC contamination has to come off to prevent additional damage being done to the coin. Well it's the same thing with toning. If toning has advanced to the point that it has turned black, then that toning needs to be removed or damage will be done to the coins. For black toning is no longer toning - it is corrosion happening right in front of your eyes. That said, one needs to be careful and to be certain that the toning has advanced to that point before attemtping to remove it. And then the removal needs to be done by someone who knows what they are doing or even more serious damage will be done to the coin by the removal of the black toning. There really is only 1 way to remove it - a commercial coin dip - an acid. So, cris - Welcome to the Forum ! And if you can please post some pics of the coins in question so that we can offer you the best advice. We need to see if the toning is indeed black, or just dark.
I found a new way of cleaning coins. Put one (but only one at a time to prevent contact marks) into a pants pocket (jeans are good). Throw pants into the wash with the appropriate amount of detergent. Wash pants as you normally would. Remove coin before drying the pants. I now have this REALLY good looking 1992 cent as proof that this system works
Like some oldtime Pope's with children, there is no right way to do it....or admit to it ......or the alternatives. So the pious answer is NEVER DO THIS! Then practice on losers behind closed doors....and welcome to the habit.....ere......hobby.dd:
AAHHHHHHhhhh. Hope your kidding. Try to remember that there are people out there that read this and think it's OK. IT IS NOT. What type of water are you using? What type of soap are you using? What other additives are you using? How long of a washing cycly are you using? What type of washer are you using? That is the really big problem with telling people to do something with out any details and they end up ruining something. Many people read stuff like that and don't know what is real and what isn't. And criss11, WELCOME TO THE FORUMMMMMMMMMMM
Jump Back~ Jump Back, JC. We're reading about a guy that washes his genes here. Who does THAT? Just place the coin in your pocket and by the time they get rendered into tattered cut offs you should have a shinny desirable item. Just don't have any other coins in the pocket at the same time is sound advice.
I Second GDJMSP (Doug) posting. The key as he says is if it is just dark or black. Try and get a photo for the best advice . Jim
I would not use an acid my self. I use a glass bowl, with warm or hot distilled water, a piece of aluminum foil that has been sanded first and rinse off, then place the aluminum and a spoon of banking soda. Then place the coins or coin into the water touching the aluminum foil.The chemical action will start removing the tarnish. Place coins after this bath and do not rub them. Let me know how they came out. Good luck. -O)
OH God!!! Don't even ASK!! Sorry.. But Please read ANY other post re: this issue.. I would say JUST DONT DO IT.. But that may start the whole "Cleaning" thing... Ahhhhhh.... Don't even whisper the word...
The aluminum and the water alone in contact with the copper causes electrolysis, and that will corrode the coins. The baking soda just adds to the problem. I would not advocate doing this.
Let's see if I can codify the "pants pocket/washing machine" method of cleaning coins. First you have to decide HOW MUCH cleaning you want to do. This is important in selecting from the following options. OPTION 1 - Pants Type (chose one); only one coin per pocket. 1. Jeans - coarsest so best for the deepest cleaning (dirty jeans add a bit of fine grit for that little extra scrubbing). 2. Khaki Workpants - not as rough as jeans and not quite as gritty 3. Dress Pants, Washable - great for the "average circulated" modern coin 4. Dress Pants, Dry Clean - slightly softer touch than the washable pants but not recommended. The Dry Cleaner tends to keep the coins. 5. Sweat Pants - great for that light touch-up; may have to search for ones with pockets. 6. Silk Underwear - perfect for prepping a coin for submission to a TPG. Cleaning is so light that the TPGs won't mention it (even if they detect it). VERY difficult find ones with pockets. OPTION 2 - Solvent 1. Hard Water - not recommended since it adds more crud than it removes. 2. Soft Water - best all-around 3. Alcohol - almost as good as Soft Water; helpful in removing oily residue. And if you select the right type (ethanol) you can drink it instead of throwing it away (don't try drinking methanol or isopropyl). 4. Acetone - great for the toughest crud. Tough to find the coin after the washing machine blows up and takes half the house with it. And the coin might not be recognizable when done. Test at a Laundromat first; look dumb when the police question you about what happened; point to someone else. OPTION 3 - Additives 1. Nothing – if you are new to this cleaning method a good place to start. 2. Detergent – starts you well on your way to “blast white” silver and red copper. 3. Non-Chlorine Bleach – adds a slight twist when used with a Detergent 4. Chlorine Bleach – adds a big twist when used with a Detergent 5. Acids – requires a LOT of experimentation to achieve the desired results. Stick with the readily available types (hydrochloric, sulfuric, nitric), and toy with the strength. Aqua Regia is particularly good with gold. Again, experimentation should be conducted at the Laundromat; be prepared with various dumb expressions. OPTION 4 – Drying 1. Only air drying should be used. Do NOT machine dry the coins. You wouldn’t want to alter the coin’s surfaces.
cleaning coins Funny post. Under OPTION 3-5, I'd add the old college chemistry standby for removing organics - "cleaning solution" which was potassium chromate dissolved in sulfuric acid. Of course, this only works for glass coins. (formula intentionally incorrect because this is really nasty stuff and will have the EPA on your doorstep when you try to dispose of it:headbang Serious comment: using any acid on coins will alter surfaces. The alteration is proportional to how long it sits in the acid. To remove the toning from a really dark coin, will require so much exposure to the acid that the surfaces will be visibly changed (and say goodbye to any luster that might have been present).
Harsh gees, F**, that sounds harsh! I'm trying to think of a coin that would help! Not to mention that you will need new jeans.
What works the best is , get a bottle of mountain dew , pour it in a glass, carefully place the coin in the MT. DEW make sure it is face down and placed in freezer for 6 - 12 hrs it works every time .
Just joking dd: The first thing I learned never attempt to clean any coin. We all have a little humor on here . But this is the place for answers .
Most soda's or pop's depending on where your from contain a complex chemical called EDTA,this stuff is nasty in it's concentrated form,and about a cup full will sterilize a small lake/large pond to where nothing will ever live in that water for a long time,it will also eat any biologics that happen to be near such as minerals including metals. We used to use it to clean 1 million gallon tanks that would build up a thing called beerstone that happens in the fermentation process of making alcohol. Once we accidently had a accidental release into the sewer system and it killed the citys water treatment facility which depends upon biologics to process the waste out of the water,that was costly! Enjoy that soft drink your sipping on and keep it away from your coins:mouth: Don't clean them yourself,find a professional and let them risk it!
