I have always been told to not clean my coins since it would rrduce the value. My question is that i see a lot of people soaking their coins un acitone.. should i be doing tjat or dies that still reduce the value? I guess i would just like someine to explain the difference if there is any.
If it's done correctly, then you shouldn't have a problem. But, practice, practice, practice on non-valuable coins to get the technique down. Some of the other members will chime in with how to do it without killing the value of your coins.
The larger problem is that people do not agree on the use of the word "cleaning" in numismatics. Some believe that all interaction is "cleaning", yet will buy or possess shipwreck coinage. Others have little chemistry/metallurgy knowledge to understand that certain substances from pure water to acetone to acids to electrolysis vary significantly in their ability to react and damage the coin metal, to them they are all and the same~~ cleaning. There is also historical "baggage". In the past, cleaning, even rather abusive, was common, as without the network now advising against such was not yet invented. Coins were coins. So many older coins are almost all cleaned to some extent, and a collector of such coins should be accepting of the history. A raw 1804 cent at a coin show, will most likely have some cleaning in its past. A 1943 Walking Liberty half dollar should not, yet many do. The use of the word conservation which implies causing no damage is appropriate for chemicals such as used by conservation companies. Acetone does not react with coin metals, but often people are not content with just its ability to remove organic gunk such as PVC residue, and grab a brush to help it along with the toothpick, tooth brush,etc to remove dirt/grime ( which is mainly silica, and they end up with a "cleaned coin and blame acetone rather than their own actions. One can conserve coins, but a good deal of education, patience, and time is necessary to move from cleaning to conservation. Jim
Thank you that helps greatly. I have always been as you said ...under th impression that anything is considered cleaning.
I'll expand a bit more. Conservation is cleaning because that's what you are doing when you conserve a coin. You are cleaning or removing something from the coin. But as stated, you are doing it in such a way as to not damage or alter the surfaces of the coin. Personally, I prefer this usage of terminology - harsh (or improper) cleaning, and, cleaning. That obviates the arguments that some folks like to get into when someone mentions the word conservation. Yes, I know what conservation means - to me. But believe it or not there are some folks out there who say they are conserving a coin when they use a toothbrush on it to remove dirt and grime. Still there are others who will say that since conservation is cleaning and it's OK, then other cleaning is OK too. My choice of terminology makes all of that go away. As for acetone, I do not disagree with what has been said, for the most part. But when it comes to copper coins I recommend that acetone not be used. I say this because I have seen too many copper coins that turn weird colors after having been dipped in acetone. The one exception I would make would be if you were using acetone to remove PVC contamination, glue, tape residue and the like from copper coins for in these cases it is better for the coin to get that stuff off of it than it is to leave it alone. That said, some will argue the point. They will say it wasn't acetone, it something else, the acetone was contaminated, the coin has something on it that caused it, they will say it was anything BUT the acetone's fault. Well, all I can tell you is that I have seen it with my own eyes countless times. No, it does not happen every time. But it happens often enough that I recommend against it. Also, acetone and other chemical solvents are just like anything else - they must be used correctly or will you not be happy with the long term results. I always suggest using 3 separate containers of acetone for each coin that is treated. And those containers of acetone are only used once, for 1 coin, and then the acetone is discarded. You dip, or soak (even over night) in the first container. Then you dip and rinse in the 2nd, then you dip in the 3rd. And finally, you dip in a container of distilled water. Then stand the coin on edge on a soft towel, with it leaning up against the back splash of your counter top and let it air dry. I do not recommend blotting to dry. After standing there overnight it will be completely dry. Here again, some will say this last step should be left out, that water is the enemy of coins. Well, I don't argue that water is the enemy of coins, it is. But it is only the enemy with prolonged contact. If a coin is allowed to air dry before being put away in proper storage then there is no water on the coin. And the reason that I suggest using the final distilled water dip is because I have seen too many coins that were dipped in acetone that developed a whitish cast to them. The final dip in the distilled water alleviates that problem and the coins will retain their natural color.
if a coin is bi-metal, Brass center in Copper-Nickel ring, circulated and still in circulation and have some tape residue .. what would be the best way to clean it .. sorry hartnessjr using your post to ask my question.
No problem...the whole reason i posted this was ti figure out if i should try the acitone stuff on a 1921 peace dollar that i picked up for 70 bucks. Some one thought wraping a roll of dollars in tape would be a good idea, and this coin was on the end. Thus it has a tape mark on one side of it.
The acetone will remove the glue left by the tape and not harm the coin. It's possible the tape stained the silver and acetone will not remove that. Don't rub the coin, just soak. I do it much like Doug posted above. If possible, post an image of the coin before you mess with it.
Don't be afraid to let it soak for as long as needed to remove the issue. If there's no adverse reaction within a few minutes/hours, there probably won't be as long as you keep it covered with acetone. I've soaked silver dollars for days to get rid of crap on 'em.
Right on! Well said bro! Conservation and cleaning are two different things. I'm not going to bother taking on Doug again, it's futile.
