Rust on 1943 steel pennies

I have a few 1943 steel pennies with rust on them. I tried soaking one in a mix of lemon juice and salt, and it got really shiny, but the rust didn't completely come off. It's not as prominent as it was,though. But I was wondering if it is acceptable to clean these cents like that, or should I just leave them dark? I know they aren't worth much, but I don't want to ruin any collectible value they might have had. Any other way to get rust off?

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

I don't know how to de-rust steel cents. I will say that unless they are in MS condition, they are not super collectable or that valuable. You can always re-zinc them and make them look nice and shiny.

 

If they have rust, you can't help them or hurt them. They are only worth a few cents at best.

 

If they have rust then they are too far gone already.

 

OK, thank you very much.

 

The 43's are not worth the effort of cleaning. You can buy a decent mint state set for cheap.