Can you "unclean a coin" ?

Got an 1877 Indian head cent on e-bay. It was cleaned/polished. Is there a way to unpolished this coin to make it brown again like it should be ??

 

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No not really,you can't bring it back to it's original glory.Most likely will cause more harm than good if trying to fix what has already been done just keep it the way it is.

 

Liver of sulfur.

 

No.

 

Had to look that up and it looks like it may work. I will experiment with less expensive coins first before I try it on that 1877 IHC. Thanks

 

I have heard of guys leaving cleaned coins on their window ledge exposed to the sunlight and having the coin develop an acceptable “skin”…. I have never done it so I am not speaking from experience. And as I recall it was not a fast process. One that developed over months.

 

One way I do this is simply with Vaseline. AKA petroleum jelly. It returns it to its natural color, or at least it helps. I have done this a few times before.

 

That will probably work but as you said it will take months to notice a difference. I'll try it, can't lose nothing. LOL Thanks

 

I'll try this also, Thanks

 

Kind of depends on it's original grade. For mid to lower grade coins, you can clean it off with distilled water (with perhaps some mild soap) and then carry it and leave it out till it "recovers" although it might lose a grade.

 

Will try that also. Thanks

 

For silver, you can use the egg trick. It’s still obviously cleaned, but looks a bit better.

 

Its the sulfur in the eggs that will make silver 'tone-up'.

 

.....but can you still eat the eggs afterwards?

 

I certainly did! Egg salad sandwich with spicy pickles. Yum

 

...............a little colloidal silver never did anyone any harm

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dellers-Da...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

Some use this product. I also know not everyone likes it. If interested, research before you use it.

 

Time Machine!

 

Once it’s been cleaned there is no way to undo that damage. You can do things to the coin to help it but coins that were cleaned over 100 years ago still show the cleaning. Polishing them makes it worse.