HELP Make it clean!!!!!

Help me I have tried everything to clean my coins but nothing does it. Some one told me to try hot sauce ( thats a NO NO) dont do it! It changes the color to lite lite copper. Why is that and what can I use in stead.

Below you can tell which ones I used hot sause on!!!!

 

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Welcome to cointalk. Cleaning coins is actually BAD. It depletes the value, and can make them a problem coin. If you insist on cleaning your coin, i would reccomend getting a "dip" from a coin supplier, to do it properly, rather than combing dangerous chemicals.

 

You shouldn't use anything. In general, there is never a good reason to clean a coin and all of those look pretty to me.

 

What about santizing your coins especially coin roll fines? I put them in alcohol for a minute, then rinse them in distilled water, and pat them dry with a cloth towel and blow dry them on cold.

 

The only time a coin should be cleaned is if;

It can better a coin that was damaged (shipwreck, house fire, etc.)

It's done professionally for conservation to better the coin, such as what NCS does

Or it is done properly with proper products



Generally, playing chemist in your kitchen is not a good idea.

EDIT: if you are worried about sanitization, look into finger cots, latex type gloves or non latex gloves, or cotten gloves. Be sure to wash your hands before handling coins to get as much oil off the surface of your fingers, and after.

 

I personally prefer coins I never have to touch at all like coins bought in a slab, flipbook, or 2X2. I did by a coin in a dirty flip book just put on some gloves and clean the flip book. The one thing that does concern me is the stuff that flies up into my nose when searching rolls. Of course though if I find something rare, it goes into a cloth bag without doing anything to it. I do have latex gloves though. Coins in a closed container I am not concerned about, especially a slab. Can you tell these pennies were sanitized and do you think they lost value from just dipping them in alcohol? Of course I had one coin I was considering trying to sell and left in my pants while doing the laundry, this is of course improper cleaning. Can you tell I sanitized these pennies? Did they lose value?

 

Im pretty sure give it to an experienced collector, sure.

 

I would never sanitize or clean or dip any coins that are proof or unc. or are rare in any grade even circ. Case in point SBA 1981 Proof Type 2 I'm afraid to use MS70 or any other coin dips for fear of ruining in any possible way so the haze stays it's not doing any damage so why mess with it.

Circulated are another story using alcohol (as long as it's 91% or higher "pure" alcohol you can't really tell. It doesn't remove or damage patina and there is no mint luster. I would be more concerned with the blowing air and any now loose materials scratching the coin and that is what collectors look for and hate to see. Personally I wouldn't clean them for cleaning sake but dirt, and suface oils things like that its fine. I have actually found 91% and higher alcohol to be great at drying out early stage verdigris on circulated copper coins. It just flakes away. Keys there being circulated and early stage where it's surface only maybe some very light microscopic pitting. That however goes back to Hunt1's comment on doing it to conserve a coin.

 

is it better to just air dry then.

I am mostly talking about coins found in coin rolls and not uncirculated coins. Yes, I know from past experience these circulated coins are dirty and filled with oils. I wore gloves when going through a box of halves and they were black when finished. I went through nickels and had stuff fly up my nose causing me to sneeze excessively. So I mostly concerned about dirt plus all the germs from being into so many hands. If I dip circulated finds in alcohol and rinse with distilled water should I just air dry them? I just don't want filthy things blowing crap and bacteria into the air. Of course if I buy something in a container, I don't touch it all just maybe clean the container with some alcohol or disinfectant. I know that when I was purchasing some junk silver the guy working there had no problem with handling well circulated coins. I know for a fact if they are dirty. Maybe I will just air dry them but thought that you are suppose to blow dry them.

 

There are many good reasons to clean a coin.
As long as it is done properly it will enhance the appearance of the coin.
Don't know that hot sauce would be proper though!

 

I never heard of "sanititizing" coins before, lol. Reminds me of people who bring their own silverware to a fancy restaurant. I believe OCD is rampant in this country.

 

And to think that after doing this for 50 years you thought you had heard it all..

shaking my head.. and actually REALLY LOL....

 

That was the great thing about collecting coins in the 1950's... we did what we wanted. We collected coins, we cleaned them, we stuck 'em in our Whitman folders. We had fun, and never once worried about touching a coin, or grading a coin, or any of the countless other "problems" that face todays collector.

 

Yes and yes. I seriously hope that if you decide to collect key dates and more valuable coins that you collect slabbed coins only. You can wipe the slabs with a disinfectant wipe and both the coins and you will be safe.:rollling:

 

Some of us still collect that way. This:

Strikes me as crazy. Heck why not just collect pictures of them? Be a lot cheaper, and you can have much better ones. The used to talk about "Coin collecting, History in your hands!". Today it's "Coin collecting, history being kept as isolated away from you as possible." Circulated coins, they were there fighting the battle of the budget. MS pop tops? They were the draft dodgers.

 

I always wash my hands very thouroghly after I touch ANY coins or paper. But then again still doesnt help much. You have mucus membranes on your finger tips and its very easy for parasites to get in. I think all the OCD is a result of the countless outbreaks. But I will try the alcohol and gloves thanks for the tips everyone!!!:hail:

 

Oh my.... those nasty coin parasites will destroy us all, entering through the "mucus membranes" in our finger tips. I have no idea why I'm still alive after 67 years, but I'm taking no chances (and heading to my doomsday bunker right now)!

 

Welcome to the forum! BUT............

There are no mucous membranes on human fingers.

OCD is not communicable as a disease, it is generally genetic, learned behavior, or altered brain chemistry levels ( such as serotonin).

Jim

 

I wish cleaning coins was its own category and I could block all such conversations so that I wouldn't cringe every time that I saw somebody discussing cleaning methods. I would never clean a coin, I just know how unnatural it appears. If you have to clean, however, jackhammers and nuclear bombs work the best.

 

May I recommend the slobber of a German Shepherd?