Ok, hey all . I Found this 1842 Penny ages ago Metal detecting . Just starting trying to clean it up . The only thing I did was soak it in Dish soap and then dabbed off the excess water . Should I attempt to clean it more ?? One pic is before and one after . Thanks
The images look about the same. The odd color made me think that soap was used. I would do nothing more to clean the coin. I would lay it on my desk without a holder and handle it with my fingers all the time. No rubbing. Over time the coin may gain a more natural color.
I was under the impression that a coin should never be cleaned. Am I wrong? Have the rules changed? I've been out of the game for a long time.
It's not called cleaning it's called conservation and it's totally okay if done correctly. As far as the cent goes, I would let it soak in acetone or xylene and see if that helps it out.
Thank You for the update. These extremely old coins are fascinating to look at. I need to read up on them so I can enjoy the site even more!