HELP Make it clean!!!!!

"Those were the days my friend, We thought they'd never end"

 

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And if there was we'd all be in trouble, lol.

 

Still a little confused.

I do have latex gloves and have used them in the past and probably should use them again. If I came across a rare error coin or key date I know not to do anything to it, I have special felt bag set aside for those. I don't think that you can absorb things through your fingertips and washing your hands after does the trick. The one thing I have encountered is particles flying up my nose causing me to sneeze excessively but that could just be disintegrated paper pulp. I know I encountered a penny I couldn't even read the date well because some goop on the date. I put into alcohol and gently rubbed it off. That is true though that someone said, "why can't we just do what we want? What is all this about not touching coins". I think the big question I have is what did these coins go through before I got a hold of them. That 1913 wheat penny found in change from Dunkin Doughnuts has been through all kinds of stuff before I got it. It has been handle by many, many people and all of a sudden when I get it I can't even touch it or get the dirt and germs off of it? Of course I am mostly talking about copper pennies saved as bullion and more common wheat pennies, if I encountered a key date or error coin worth significantly more, my treatment of it would change. When a penny has gone through the masses of people it picks up whatever was in those people's hands. My 1913 has been handled by people with 1913-present diseases, chronic nose-pickers, and people that don't wash their hands after using the toilet. That is not OCD it is fact. I do take my coins out in flip books and 2 by 2s and admire them, but they are in containers and do not worry about them. All you have to do to realize circulated coins are dirty is to open a roll and look through them.

 

And how long do you think any communicable disease lives on a coin? I guess about the same amount of time they live on toilet seats, lol. Please... this is OCD at its finest.

 

What about that big gob of who knows what stuck to a coin? Was that naturally or was that the result of someone who handled it? It is probably natural for bugs to exist everywhere, you going to leave ants in your house if they come in?

 

They stay in their 2x2s, slabs, or flip-books. I don't have to take them out to look at them. I know if I took them out of these to where gloves and hold them by the edges so I don't mess them up. I am really talking about coin roll finds, which are obviously filthy and have been already handled by many, many people already. Of course there are my copper pennies I am essentially saving as bullion and do not currently care about their numismatic value since there isn't any.

 

If I worried about the danger of lifeforms on my coins to me rather then my effects on the coins, I would use a strong shortwave UV light on each coin. Commercial uv lights won't damage the coin for such small exposure. Just wear eye protection as a safety factor, They will work on any inanimate object such as toilet seats, bedsheets, remote controls, etc. Just don't go overboard. Doesn't help with people skin or pets unless you have a very powerful one

 

i touch coins that were around, and used, during the black plague. i guess i should be dead!

 

No offence dude, but you're not dealing in one of the two remaining contained labs of small pox in the world...

 

The above responses are correct - there are no mucous membranes in fingers. If you're overly concerned about getting infections or diseases from coins then coin collecting may not be the best thing for you. I sometimes wash my hands after (and before) handing a lot of coins, and that should be more than enough.

 

Ok, that being said, you shouldn't do anything to a coin and just leave it alone. As far as the pennies I already dipped in alcohol, that is already done. This is something I was told do at About.com if I was concerned about germs on a coin. I am not concerned about a communicable disease like the Black Plague or something just the overall dirtiness of them but I do have a box of latex gloves that I can use and do wash my hands after coin roll hunting. But what about situations like I had yesterday where there is a gob of something on the coin where the date is? I put it in alcohol, rubbed the spot a little and it came off.

 

Just to stir the pot a bit:

http://chronicle.augusta.com/living/2010-06-28/how-bad-are-germs-money

There are no mucous membranes in the fingers. The danger comes if you have open cuts on your hands, or touch your mucous membranes after handling the stuff. So, wear bandaids when needed, and do not pick your nose after handling money, and you should be okay. As far as the dust, I've never experienced enough dust to cause sneezing and such. But if it bothers you that much, go to the local hardware store and pick up some inexpensive dust masks (usually found in the paint department). You can (and should) wash your hands after handling bulk coins and currency, or you could try one of these:

http://www.gloveboxes.com/

 

Okay that being said, leave coins alone. Those that I dipped in alcohol and distilled water I can't do nothing about, it has already been done. I am not concerned about catching small pox, just dirt mostly. Wearing latex gloves and washing your hands after handling coins should do the trick. What do you do about the oils and dirt on coins you want to keep you find with a metal detector or in a coin roll? I am not talking about something rare, just a wheat penny or something.

 

I got the alcohol thing from About.com when I asked about germs on a coin. I am actually more concerned about dirt on them. Like I encountered a coin that had a gob of something on the date and need to get it off to verify the date. What then?

 

I can tell you dipped them in something, the 1920 has residue from whatever you dipped in at 3 o'clock.

Diminished value IMO.

 

Are you talking about the green residue? That was already there. I am wondering if I didn't rinse some with distilled water. Should I find these pennies and rinse them?

I just took a look at what your talking about and I know that the residue on the bottom-left penny at 3 o-clock was already there and not my doing. Some with the little bit of green stuff on the bottom-right penny.

 

I wasn't going to post, but I will. Cleaning coins, harshly cleaning coins, conserving coins, what does it all mean? Coins can be really dirty. I love to go through those boxes and dishes of $0.25 - 5 for $1.00 coins, and after awhile, my hands are BLACK with all the crud on them. If you have a proof coin or a coin in an uncirculated or near uncirculated state, the dictum of not cleaning is valid as far as I am concerned. However for run-of-the-mill coins, you would have to do a lot to lower values. Obviously you shouldn't use scouring powder or wire brushes, but a soak in hot water, changing it if it appears dirty, followed by a rinse with distilled or deionized water or alcohol (50%, 70% or 91% isopropyl or rubbing alcohol, or ever vodka - 40% ethyl alcohol) followed by drying them will not cause any dammage and will not be detectable. IMO.

 

Cleaning is basically using dip properly.

Harshly cleaning can be improper cleaning, such as chemicals or a wire brush.

Conservation is when a professional (NCS or others of the like) take a coin that has damage such as PVC, fire damage, shipwreck damage, etc. And try to correct the coin to the best of their ability.

 

Yes, I also went through a box of halves and put on gloves. After going through them my gloves were ripped and black. I had someone dump them at their bank, their hands were black after dumping them as well. Were not talking about altering the coins appearance, just restoring it a little by removing some of the obvious crud on them along with any germs. My one wheat penny went through the laundry the other day, definitely improper cleaning. How many circulated coins have already done this? How do you suggest drying them? Air dry or cool blow dry?

 

So where in your compendium comes soaking in water to remove surface dirt, rinsing with distilled water or alcohol to remove minerals and then drying them? Is this harsh cleaning? Will this be detectable? Will this do coins harm?