Grime removal from wheat penny?

Agree with Spark1951 in theory. it won't turn copper pink. Acetone is a 7 pH, not an acid or a base, right in the middle of the road like distilled water, but it is a solvent. it will break down a lot of schmutz and junk that has built up on a coin what acetone won't do, xylene might do, it's a different solvent and it also is a similar pH might be a 6.5 pH actually. anyways, it will break down and remove buildup junk on coins in a lot of cases....

.....And the surface underneath that stuff that was on there.... might be a different color than the rest of the coin and toned differently.

Otherwise though Acetone won't etch or damage or corrode the metal, it won't even remove patina or toning. it just breaks down the gunk buildup.

The one caveat I feel I need to note is you may not like what's under the junk on the surface of the coin and what it looks like after it's removed.

 

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Is there something that can be used on any coins to clean them? I know a silly question however google is no help. I have a bit of coins that are very dirty and needs to be viewed better.

 

When I was a kid a pencil eraser would have removed all that gunk.

 

Don't do anything to your coins until you have a better understanding of cleaning. Every coin is different and most coins should not be messed with. Get it wrong and you can kill any value the coin might have.
Post images if possible.

 

"kill any value the coin might have " ? I notice it will hurt the value, not kill any of the value. Cleaned rare coins sell for good money all the time on eBay, even harshly cleaned .

 

Read what I said again.

 

Yes...but it also removed luster and value, and, at the time, the 60’s for me, we just didn’t understand that it was an abrasive and altered the surface, thereby rendering it valueless...Spark

 

Look, a rare coin or highly desirable coin is going to have a taker for a premium even if it's damaged or harshly cleaned. It's not going to sell for full value that it could have though so if you want to shine up your collection with a pencil eraser, brasso, an SOS pad or a sand blaster, go ahead, but don't say "I had no idea" when the only thing that gave your coins value wasn't rarity but was it's condition and you've ruined the condition trying to put a "shine" on them.

When I was young I used to buy junk cars for a couple hundred dollars, get them running then crash them up for a fun time and something to do then scrap them. Hey they were mine, I can do what I want with my stuff. if it's your coins do what you like also, but you were warned you may delete value it could have had, maybe all of it.
If you want to buy a Picasso painting and fingerprint over it, I'll tell you it's a bad idea. After that it's yours to do as you wish with.

 

First thing I would check with magnification, is the area under the jacket at 7 o'clock to see if there is any evidence of a VDB on the obverse, or VDB removal. If there is,
you can spend this coin.
You can soak the coin in distilled water, it probably won't remove anything, but it
won't harm the coin.
Anyone who said to use vinegar or lemon juice has no idea what they are talking about. These acids will damage the coin, change the color, and make it almost worthless.
I agree with Larry, I never heard that acetone will turn a copper coin pink.
Through personal experiments, it seems to work better on silver than copper,
but it won't damage the coin.
If the coin is genuine, it is best to leave it alone as any attempts to "fix it" will only ruin it. Is it worth professional conservation? IDK because it is still going to be a low grade coin.