“Dipping” Education Request

Been collecting a very long time and have never considered altering a coins appearance. I have a sixty year old Whitman album of Mercs. Maybe a third of the dimes have been in that album since it’s inception and those dimes are horridly black and ugly. Now that I am educated on the dangers of the cardboard albums I am changing the set to a better grade album. If I can safely improve the appearance of the black dimes by dipping I may consider doing that.

So what exactly is dipping? Is it the same sort of thing my wife dips her jewelry in from time to time? Are there specific formulas made for our coins? And the big question.... Am I truly damaging common average grade coins?

Please, I have no intention here of inciting a rabid debate on the ethics of coin cleaning. Just asking to be educated so I can make an informed decision before I transfer this set to a better album.

 

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The hard part is learning if a coin can be helped with a dip. Next is learning the proper way to do it. Could you post some images of what you are dealing with?

 

E-Z-est is a common dip readily available at most LCS and online stores such as Wizard Coin Supply. Most will tell you not to dip coins below the grade of AU, unless they are so bad you really just can't make them worse. They will look "cleaned".

 

This is a page out of the book. The pieces that have the ugly black tarnish are the dimes that I am considering. 1939, 1945D. Just the really unappealing pieces.

 

So this will give them something of a circulated blast white sort of appearance?

 

Keep in mind that you do not want to use any dip, full strength. You will want to dilute it before use.

 

Don't do anything to the 42 over 41. A dip will kill it's value.

 

Oh no.... Only the common date ugly toned pieces.

 

It's a nice looking group just the way it is. I would just leave it alone. It has a really nice matching look. Note how the coins on the edges of the album page have toned the most.

 

I hadn’t considered that. Pretty telling isn’t it? I should probably have my coffee before I post these early morning thoughts!

 

It's fun to see images of album toning.

 

I would just transfer the coins as is without playing with them. Another thought would be to sell them and buy a better looking set.

 

I NEVER use ANY commercial "dip". I use an Eastman Kodak concoction that I find is FAAAAAAAAAAR gentler on coins. Its primary use is for textiles that have acquired sulfides of silver stains (which toning is). Below is a clip from an archived source. I use it further diluted.

KODAK STAIN REMOVER S-10

For Removal of Fixer Stains From Clothing

The following formula will remove brownish stains which occasionally appear on
clothing where a fixing bath has been spilled or splashed. Usually, this is caused by silver
compounds which accumulate in the fixing bath as it is used.

Water 96 fluid oz. 750.0 ml

Kodak Thiourea 10 ounces 75.0 grams

Kodak Citric Acid 10 ounces 75.0 grams

Water to make 1 gallon 1 .0 liter

For use: Thoroughly wet the stain with this solution and wait for the stain to
disappear. Old stains may require more than one application and a longer time (several
minutes) to disappear. The garment should be thoroughly washed after the stains have
been removed.

Since newer-type fabrics may be involved, any garment should be tested by applying a
small amount of the stain remover to a hidden portion (such as a shirttail or a small piece
of the material snipped from an inside seam) to determine whether bleaching or other
damage may occur.

Caution: Like all similar solutions, this stain remover contains thiourea, a powerful
fogging agent which will contaminate photographic materials and cause black spots. This
solution should not be used in the immediate area where light-sensitive photographic
materials or processing chemicals are handled. It is difficult to remove traces of this
chemical from the hands by washing in water; therefore, contact of the skin with this
stain remover should be prevented by the use of rubber gloves. In order to
decontaminate the gloves, rinse the outer surfaces in a dilute solution of sodium
hypochlorite and then wash thoroughly in warm water. This solution can be prepared by
adding one fluid ounce of any commercial hypochlorite solution, such as Clorox, 101,
Sunny Sol, etc., t o one quart o f water.

If you're making a liter, which I suggest, start with 35 grams of each active ingredient, not 75 grams.

Where the text above talks of a "fogging agent", it is helpful to know what that means, chemically. I means it reduces silver compounds into metallic silver, which is kinda what you're trying to do, is it not?

I virtually NEVER recommend ANY dip for a well-circulated coin. They never look right.

 

It would be unwise for you to dip these. They look great as is.

 

Also if you do clean your coins, by all means do not use Brighto!

 

Thanks to all. I am resolved to leave as is.

 

Why not sell the ones that you don't like and purchase replacements?

 

Actually.... That’s exactly the path I plan to take. Would make for a good project with a new upgraded album.

 

Well, seems like a pretty overwhelming consensus, but if you posted this tomorrow would it be a "rabbit debate"?