Yikes! Never do this. You will damage the original mint surface, guaranteed. You may not see it but under magnification it will be clear. Lance.
If you want to really destroy the coins, use good ole original Tabasco sauce. (It really eats away at copper coins.) What's that you say? That Lincoln cent not shiney anymore? Tabasco sauce to the rescue!!!
I got several Walking Libs a few months ago for melt price. But as a long time collector, I don't want to melt them. But they have orange rust areas on them. I tried Jewel Luster on one of them, but it did not touch the rust. Any ideas ?
I really hope you're kidding , some new people will read this and try it and ruin a nice coin . Any abrasive or clkeanser like baking soda paste will ruin a coins surface , in the 60's and early 70's baking soda was a tried and true method for removing black toning , that's one pf the reasons so many coins wind up in body bags or in improperly cleaned details slabs . Rusty
Really don't think that's rust , might be some glue or other contaminant . Try acetone . Or better yet start with a soak in distilled water .
Stop That. Don't do that....... [video=youtube;LhQGzeiYS_Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhQGzeiYS_Q&feature=related[/video]
One of the problems with this type of forum is that you'll get bad advice along with the good. I'm not sure if Cal was kidding (hope he was) or serious; either way, it's best to read all of the replies to your question, and understand the consequences of using certain methods of "cleaning". Take a common coin out of your pocket... run a pencil eraser over it a few times, then look at it under a 10X loupe. All those fine lines you see are permanent damage. This was one of the prime methods we used back in the 1950's, along with baking soda and an old tooth brush. Then a quick coat of liquid mercury (we did this mostly at lunch time in the cafeteria... sandwich in one hand and rubbing the mercury into the coin with the other) and "bingo"... instant "proof". Yeah... I miss those days...
You guys were rubbing mercury on coins in the lunch room? While eating lunch? And your're still with us?
Yep... mercury was "safe" back then (along with just about everything else that has been proven to kill ya).
How 'bout this? http://www.amazon.com/EST-Coin-Cleaner-5oz-jar/dp/B000YQ6GXU/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1CFS5D8ZZWE0G&colid=QXHGVVSYM38N
Mercury in the liquid elemental form is not near as dangerous as in the combined or vaporous form. You want to see some mental mercury toxicity, check out some old prospectors/ gold salvage smelters who used mercury in separation of gold and then vaporized it away from the gold. How long are your arms and tongs ???? Jim
I tried E*Z*EST Coin Cleaner on one of my Walking Libs with the rust like stuff, didn't work. Also tried it on two fire-burnt-like Walking Libs, didn't work. It did work fairly well on a 1893 Half.