Cleaning coins (silver) with Windex

The mantra here and with most coin collectors is generally "don't clean.". But I was at a local coin show and showed a big dealer my 1869 silver dime. It is a bit dark. He said I should clean it gently with Windex and a soft cotton cloth.

Any thoughts on this???

Rob

 

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The dealer is pulling your leg?

Yeah, put a harsh chemical on it and scrub the bejesus out of it. That'll increase the value big time. Have you been thinking about retirement?

 

No he was not kidding. I did say he said GENTLY wiping.

Rob

 

He calls himself a dealer? the most IMHO is hot water rinse and air dry, maybe, maybe alcohol soak first.

 

Or last:

1. Clean valuable coin with Windex and cloth.
2. Sell coin at a fraction of its original value.
3. Use the cash to do a thorough alcohol soak at your local pub.

 

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH "

(sound of scream in the distance)

 

Yeah.... That guy has no idea what he is talking about...

 

That was some really bad advice , though I might take a common slider dime and see what happens . Never hurts to see what happens .

 

Windex-Blue ( tm) original is 95+ % pure water, about 5% isopropyl alcohol, and less than .10 % ethylene glycol derivative. + some water soluble blue dye. The one with ammonia only has enough to stimulate our nose to think "CLEAN!" , nothing else.

So I doubt the windex would cause a problem, its the 'soft cloth' part. But no worse than using cotton gloves I guess. If it was a MS or high grade coin, yes, the dealer is not aware. If AG-F, I doubt the soft cloth would create any more noticeable wear, and would inform the dealer that chemically it has little or no lightening ability, and if not high enough grade to dip, leave it black.

 

Is he a coin dealer or a Windex dealer?

 

well, if you want to try it, go for it. You can always unclean a coin where nobody would know it was previously cleaned.

 

Windex? seriously?!
If you are going to try it make sure you add the proper attachments!

 

Thanks Jim , no wonder my Grandmother and Mother sometimes made their own . Guess I'll forget the experiment too . I really thought there was some harsh chemical in it .

 

I always thought it had ammonia in it

 

Same here....?

 

What would you grade the coin as?

 

Ammonia water ( 5% or so) has been used for a long time for cleaning, so the smell of ammonia ( but such a very low % , doesn't have to be on a MSDS sheet). It really isn't such a great cleaner, but is cheap and readily available. Do you remember "pink slime" of meat processing, ammonia was used in that process, but too many people complained about their raw beef patties smelling like windex or worse

 

I am going to try it on a dirty 1966 canada dime. I guess if it does not work my dime will be worth 1.00 instead of 1.50

 

The dime in question is only F to MAYBE low VF, I guess. I posted it a little while back. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/1869-s-dime.247919/

And note that the dealer did NOT tell me to "scrub it", "rub it" or anything like that. He said to gently wipe it with a soft cloth after squirting it with the Windex. I would think only more like blotting it to get off the Windex and any crud it lifted.

I'll be curios to see the results of your testing, HalfdollarDan!


Rob