I took a penny and dropped it in lemon juice and then took it out after a few hours and it looked much better. The penny has no value I just wanted to try it and see. Is this a good thing to do with some of my coins or will it affect the value of them? Is this an accepted method of cleaning? Thanks.
Just to clarify to you, there is NO excepted method of cleaning as any cleaning can affect the value, or potential value, of any coin. If done improperly, which is more so than not, it can damage the coin. Just an FYI, you can get the same effect from ketchup as you did with the lemon juice. Both are acidic, which removes a lot of the surface debris.
Yeah, don't clean them. Also, in my opinion, after an abrasive scrub, I'd say that sitting in acid (or something acidic like lemon juice) for a period of time, is one of the worst ways to clean a coin.
Agreed - you really need to know what you are doing to not ruin a coin. There are times when a proper cleaning will improve a coin. I am willing to bet if you compared your cleaned coin to one in the same grade, not cleaned, you can probably see the difference in the surface. Next time take before and after pictures to compare.
I would say if you have some low grade copper pennies from like the 70's you want to experiment with, that is no big deal at all. But if you have a rare or valuable coin that needs cleaning, which there aren't very many reasons they would need to be, it is best to let a professional handle it. There are some very good companies that will do it for you.
The acidic reaction on the coppers surface will definitely change its color. And for a new fella, it might look ok. It might even look brand spanking new! Experienced collectors and dealers will spot the "color change" immediately since the color takes on a pinkish hue the same as if the coin were dipped in E-Z-Est. You can get this reaction with nearly any fruit. I've seen it happen with bananas! However, despite what your eyes are telling you, the coin is essentially ruined and even years upon years of natural toning will not undo the damage. BTW, you're not really "cleaning" the coin as much as you are simply changing the color of the coin with a chemical reaction. Don't do anymore ok?
I will throw the a somewhat contrarian position out there. There is a bit of a word game going on here but whatever, here it goes. Do not 'clean' coins. This means do not do anything which will affect the surface/patina of a coin. For copper in particular, this means do not try to make them shiny if they are dull. I would not personally use an acid as it may react with the copper and change the surface of the coin. DO conserve coins. This means cleaning off surface dirt,grime,wax, verdigris. I use xylol for this, which is a solvent and a soft brush to clean off dirt. This does not affect the surface of the coin in any way, but it does remove dirt which if not removed can lead to damage. I also use a product called verdi-care after I clean the coin with xylol. One caveat I would add here is I generally do not do this with coins in AU or better. I do not believe it will affect luster, but it might. Additionally, AU coins should not have much dirt to remove. I am not a chemist, but there are a couple out there in the coin community who are, and this is what was suggested to me. You can search for verdi-care or verdi-gone and find multiple posts from the chemist who created it. There is a huge negative reaction when people hear clean a coin which is often this is justified as people use acids to try to make old pennies shinny and new, don't do this. On the other hand, it is perfectly OK to clean dirt and other corrosive foreign objects off of your coins. The function goal is to make the surface of the coin as stable as possible, so don't try to change the surface patina, but if there are already things on the surface which will cause damage then I remove them.
As usual there is allways the exception to the rule LOL I collect ancients and will quite often purchase what are comonly known as crusties now guy's believe me these you do clean LOLbut you should allways do it slow and easy
I wouldn't use an eraser. It can damage the surface of the coin. There are less abrasive ways to clean your coins.
Both erasers and toothpaste has abrasive components to do their job,They should not be used on coins where judgment on the originality of the surface is very important. This is especially true on modern coins as cleaning was known for causing damage during this age. For older coins, cleaning was often practiced and even taught as good procedure by many coin collectors, but the top collectors knew not to do so. There are products ( mentioned above) that can remove SOME dirt/grime with careful use, but the problem is that often the users of them do not take the time to learn their ability and limits. Acetone, Xylene, Pure water, Verdi-care, generally will be safe, but extended use, contaminated chemical and tools, and especially the knowledge to know when the coin can not be further conserved , or to know that the problem can not be improved without visible damage will occur. When I say visible, I mean for an experienced, impartial observer with a 5+ quality magnifier. Often the owner can not see the scratches from sodium bicarbonate or a soft brush, but they usually are there. If one uses any appliance, ( soft brush, toothpick, thorn, plastic dental pick, etc). The first time they not leave a scratch, but during that first time the appliance picks up dust or grit. Most of which is quartz with a Moh hardness of 7. The harness of copper silver and gold are about Moh hardness of 3, a factor of 4 magnitudes which is approximately 10,000 ( Moh hardness isn't as accurate as Vickers or Brinell, but close enough for examples. The the second use of a soft brush could be primed with a "cutter substance" many times harder than the surface, and the scratch gets larger. You should be able to tell PVC from verdigris Able and knowledgeable to use hazardous chemicals Strongly suspect from experience what will be under something you wish to remove. It may be worse than appearance. Know a natural patina from one over treated chemically such as with an acid Have an idea how dirt/grime/corrosion normally accumulates on the coins, especially in lettering and date. and probably many more things. How do you learn? Experience is the main way. When I was evaluating BadThads products, I used over 100 different copper cents of various ages to see if color shifts occurred when over extended, how much verdigris could be expected to be removed, etc. Things only your eyes and experience can come to utilize. My 2 cents. Jim
Never use a brush of any kind as the brush strokes will be evident on the sufaces. The best thing when it comes to coins and toning, is leave the toning. It's a natural process and is going to happen.
Thanks guys, I will not do any of my good coins that way. I just heard about it and used a '70 era penny just to see. Thanks again for all the great info. This might sound strange but I really love the coins that have been around. Dont get me wrong I would love to have some UNC/MS coins, but the ones that have been passed down, spent, and traded through out the years. Now to me thats history.
I feel exactly the same way. There is nothing wrong with some good old circulated coins. IHC's are one of my favs, as well as buffalos.
