My German aunt today gifted me her coin collection of German coins. But majority of the coins have corroded over time due to lack of preservation and some look badly out of shape. Should I try to clean them using detergents or alcohol? Do they hold any numismatic value? The year and mint marks are clearly legible in almost all of them but all the coins with actual golden color now looks like cooper and iron....
Most coins have some value to them no matter where they are from. You might want to check out http://worldcoingallery.com/countries/Germany.html or get the World Book of coins and check the values before going much farther. A good soak in pure Acetone in a clean glass dish never hurts.
Try the least caustic ways 1st , soak in warm soapy distilled water , then acetone , then hydrogenperoxide , never wipe or rub the coins as this will cause hairlines , also never use commericial cleners containg acid on copper coins , always rinse well with distilled water and pat dry . Good luck . rzage
