For copper it is olive oil and a cue tip ( cotton bud ) ...To get the dirt out of the lettering, use a tooth pick as wood does not harm metal. Forst smother with the oil and leave for 2 hours so the oild goes into the dirt...Themn it will become soft to remove....DONT USE WATER!!!....For silver use goddards silver dip but very very liberally as the lustre will remove if too much is used
MisterWD, posted: "Toothpaste is not so abrasive anymore. They used to make it with ocean sediment composed of the hard parts of dead protozoan sea life. It was like ground glass and actually damaged teeth over time. Today they make it with microscopic plastic beads so it scours teeth clean without damaging them. If you clean the coins gently with toothpaste on a soft cloth, rinse and pat dry, it will do a very nice job without damaging the coin or affecting the surface quality or luster." There is a bunch of misinformation in this thread. Not picking on anyone in particular but this "suggestion" is probably the worst. Hopefully it has not been used on anything that may be valuable in the future. Anyway, don't use toothpaste on your coins! You, yourself, and plenty of "blind" collectors will swear it does a great job. It does not. A "toothpaste job" can be spotted across a dark room! Let alone by someone using a little magnification.
Just don’t use Xylene in an unventilated area. You want to leave some brain cells when you’re done. And don’t smoke, you want to leave a building when you’re done.
Now you got me confused. Is "trolling" a method of fishing, like dragging a lure or bait behind the boat, or is it acting like one of those ugly monsters who live under bridges?
Trolling on the internet is usually someone who intentionally offers a contrary or bizarre opinion in order to get enjoyment from the unrest and angry response posts.
I would say - "It depends". I've soaked a coin for 3 days in an airtight jar with no ill effects, and I've also had success with a quick 'swishing'. There is a thread (probably a few of 'em) with explicit directions on using acetone/xylene.
It is amazing how this topic comes up ever so frequently. It is also amazing that there are so many folks who want to clean and do not know the ramifications of it.
Dipping was mentioned. NEVER dip a copper coin. Copper is much more reactive than silver or gold. The acid in the dip will corrode it.
So how do you use distilled water or acetone to clean a coin? Do you let it soak in it or pour it over the coin? Just how is this done? I don't know that I'll ever do it, but I would like to know about it. And can you tell if a coin has been cleaned by these methods?
Like I said, it depends on the coin and what you're trying to accomplish. This is a before and after of a coin that had some 'stuff' on it. I soaked it for at least 3 days in acetone, then used a toothpick to get off what I could, then repeated until nothing else would come off (without getting more aggressive). As far as evidence of it having been in acetone, there is a 'toning'/discoloration where the gunk was, so there's that. Before - After - Close-up of 'spotting' after removal (saturation was bumped intentionally) -
Your coin appears to still have glue all over it. Get some Goo Gone. Lay the coin flat and put some drops on it to cover the entire side. let it sit. Then put some fresh Goo on it and soak a Q-tip in more Goo and roll it on. That should remove the remaining yellow spots. Then use acetone to remove the Goo. Repeat on other side. Thank You very much... PS You cannot hurt it as it appears have hairlines from former mishandling (cleaning?).
Goo gone? Seriously? If I go back to the Three Stooges episode, Brighto will get rid of the spot, and the coin too! All your worries will be over!
Read this - https://www.cointalk.com/threads/proper-acetone-procedure.193708/ In it I explain the proper way to do it. The same procedure applies to distilled water, acetone, and xylene. And no, none of them will harm your coin in any way as long as you follow that procedure I outlined. Do not do anything else other than what I outlined !
i have highlighted the particular part of the message in bold blue for all readers reference...if you see what has been said above, why on earth would anyone use toothpaste on something gaining value in the future when we dont know what the future will bring???? That is why there are futures in the stock markets to invest in. if we all knew the future, we would not invest, we would simply buy and sell on those days and not tie our money up for any length of time. How do we all know that a hoard of items was not kept in an investors safe or closet and did not reach the market and flood it??? Personally i dont care for the future with coins, notes, stamps gold , silver etc etc etc as i believe in making ones profit and getting out. A small profit is way better than a huge loss. Take the 1911s and 1912s USA wheat pennies in any grade as that is what i invested in when living in Australia and the money i made from them bought me a new car in the early 1970's when just out of school....I was buying EF grade under $15.00 per coin. That is when i learnt to sell when one can. Just remember , that the small % of profit you have earnt in a short time is better than a loss you will incur in years to come as the hobby is dieing off with the lack on intrest from our younger societies of today ( or our kids ) ...How many young families have bone china to eat off, sterling silver cutlery, irish bed linen and so on and so on...I would say the % would be less than 2%... That type of thing was about in our grandparents eras and it has either been sold on storage wars or the like or simply melted down for scrap... I know as i am guilty of doing just that... I was at a garage sale and saw a .925 sterling silver tea set...The person wanted 20.00 each for the serving Tray, Milk Jug and $10 for a set of teaspoons. $35.00 each for the teapot and coffee pot. that totaled $120.00 and i offered 2 $50 notes and she said add another $10 and you have a deal...So i did. I picked them up and estimated the weight in my mind there may have been close to 2 kilos of silver and i could not pay her fast enough...I then went to a dealer and sold it all for scrap silver.... I told him i wanted 85% of spot silver so he could make a good earn as well...He paid me and off i went. Just think about this...our kids will be worse as they wont know what they have if they come across similar... i received over $1400.00 for the lot and that was at a discounted price....I assume the dealer tried to sell it for its usable value before scrapping it. he would have turned it over for close to $2000.00 but i did not care....i made my profit. I have done this before in Australia ( where i originally come from ) but i damaged the goods first before letting them go to the next person at scrap price. I have 2 kids of my own that say they want nothing to do with that crap so why on earth should i keep it??? Sell it and enjoy the money is what i say... There will be people in here of my vintage ( in their 60's ) that will disagree as they had similar stuff from their grandparents but think about it...How long have you had the items and when was it last used??? You cannot buy gas , groceries, clothes etc with a silver dinner set laying in a cupboard. What i bought with assistance of the money from that silver set was a cartoon cell of bugs bunny in a robe with the original drawing by chuck jones in an auction....The number is 1/1 which means only one for the world. I have added pictures so some of you dont think i am having you on. As i have said many times over, something is only worth what a person is willing to pay for it.... I did not buy the cell for investment but simply to enjoy.... I will sell it eventually... have a nice day
