Copper conservation help needed

I have to strongly disagree with this. Using a brush of any kind can and will hairline the coins. The surface of the coins should never be touched with anything. There is no cloth, brush, or anything else that will not leave traces of its contact on the coin.

And mineral oil, also a bad idea. All oils regardless of type break down over time and will be prove harmful to the coins. They also cause dirt and particulates from the air to stick to the coins, which can then cause spotting and or unsightly toning in some cases.

And yes I know, people have used it for years. But that doesn't mean it's a good thing. There are all kinds of things that people used for years that have proven to be bad for coins.

 

Yup.

 

Try a little experiment on your own. Get some new copper cents from change. And get yourself a soft brass brush, you'll find them in most hardware stores. Then lightly brush the surface of the cents with the brush. I guarantee you that you will see hairlines on the coins.

As for the mineral oil, there is no shortage of articles and even books where it is recommended and has been reported to be used for many, many decades. It's use probably goes back over a 100 years. But here's the thing, and it is also why the brush was recommended. The purpose of the brush was to remove harmful deposits on the coin, particularly verdigris. And the reason the idea arose at all is obvious, it is because mechanical agitation works better at removing stuff than no mechanical agitation at all. Verdigris in particular has always been a problem that plagued copper collectors. And since verdigris is the result of corrosion on copper, copper collectors have always wanted to get it off their coins. In the beginning they never really understood that verdigris itself wasn't the problem, verdigirs is merely the result of the problem - that being copper corroding.

Once they did understand, that's when the mineral oil came into play. It's purpose was to help stop the corrosion in the first place by creating an oily barrier that prevented air, and the moisture contained in the air, from getting to the copper and causing that corrosion they all hated. And it did its job. That's how and why the practice originated to begin with.

But using a brush of any kind on a coin is nothing more than a form of harsh cleaning. And when the practice of using the brush and mineral oil originated, harsh cleaning of one's coins was de riguer - it was not only acceptable, it was expected. So nobody saw any harm in using the brush on coins. Or the oil for that matter, because the combination of the two things did exactly what they wanted it to do. And they were quite happy with it. In effect,, the brush and oil is the lesser of two evils, except that they don't see it as being an evil to begin with.

I suppose the best way to put it is that it's something that has been accepted and practiced for so long, that they simply don't see anything wrong with it. And in that regard it's like harsh cleaning in general. It too was accepted and expected for hundreds of years. And it has only been in the last few decades that harsh cleaning of coins has come to be on its way to extinction.

But like I said, try it yourself, see it (the hairlines) with your own eyes. And you will definitely see it. But the congealing and breaking down of the oil, that takes much longer to happen. But it too will happen. It is a given, not a maybe.

 

I should have added one more thing. If you think putting mineral oil coins is acceptable or would be OK, try putting some on a coin and then submitting that coin for grading. I guarantee you it will not come back cleanly graded.

 

You are correct, I misspoke on that. But it doesn't matter, it will have the same effect - it will hairline the coins.

 

You'll find countless reports of people saying to use a rose thorn or a toothpick, and yes even brushes to help remove stuff from coins. Does it work ? Sure it does, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea.

But ask yourself, what is the first cardinal rule of coin collecting ? It to never touch the surface of the coin, and when you hold it, you ONLY hold it by the edges. The reason for that is so you do not damage the coin. And nobody, absolutely nobody, ever argues against this.

So now ask yourself, given that, how can it possibly be a good idea to use a brush, a toothpick, or a rose thorn on the surface of a coin ? Rather obviously it cannot. But it's "easier" and faster than than doing things the right way. And it's just that simple, that's why they do it and then claim it's OK.