Acetone Cleaning -- Your thoughts?

I was always told to never clean any coins ... that nothing is safe .. that a coin collector would rather have them dirty and cleaned ... IF someone here knows of a way to clean them (I have over 6000 wheat pennies I could start with ... hahaha) I would clean the dirtiest ones. I am afraid to try anything for fear of causing problems or reducing the value of the coins at a latter date. Especially some of the dirtier silver coins that I have.

Acetone? I don'e know. I am hoping to hear from someone who does it and or knows for sure.

 

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Fingernail polish remover has conditioners in it, lotions, oils, etc. as opposed to pure acetone which does not. And you can buy pure acetone at drug stores in the fingernail polish remover section. Acetone helps to loosen oily gunk, dirt, and grime. In my experience, it's not as useful on corrosion which takes a more oily substance, like mineral oil, Coin Care, Blue Ribbon, which you use to soak and help loosen corrosion. By the way, using a cloth to rub XF or lower circulated coins is not that big of deal since the coin has already been "rubbed" or handled many times, but I would hesitate to rub an AU or better coin - patting it dry is much better.

 

Thank you for that information.

 

For large quantities of well circulated wheat cents, I do the following:

1. Rather than acetone*, I prefer to soak them in a bowl of Coin Care, Blue Ribbon, or oil, just covering the coins (in batches depending on how many you have)

2. use a soft toothbrush to loosen dirt and grime

3. rinse them in a strainer with a little soap and water, continuing to gently use the toothbrush to help remove leftover dirt

4. place them on paper or cloth towels to dry, using a soft towel to help pat them to remove excess water

5. take a soft cloth like a dry wash cloth and "rub" each one between your thumb and first finger to remove the loosened grime and oil residue, making sure to remove all water residue.

6. put them in 2x2 cardboard holders and label them.

*acetone really drys out a coin, removing all natural oils so if you use acetone to remove grime, I still like to use a cloth containing remnants of Coin Care or Blue Ribbon to rub the coin after the acetone before I holder it as it helps to conserve a coin to prevent future corrosion (a small amount of Coin Care or Blue Ribbon will remain on the coin when using the same soft cloth over and over to rub the coin dry - I have the same cloth I've been using for years, without ever washing - it works wonders without even adding more Coin Care!).

WARNING! These instructions are my own method and are for WELL CIRCULATED WHEAT CENTS - I have not done this on any other type of coin such as silver, nickel, etc., nor would I do this on UNCIRCULATED coins. So try it on a couple wheaties first to test your own results!

 

I was too lazy to post my response in such detail like Charmy. I second everything she said. Only thing I would rinse with fresh mineral oil after toothbrush. I don't use a toothbrush much (do on VF or worse coins). I don't think soap and water is good myself, but just my opinion. Blue Ribbon or such is too expensive for large amounts of coins. I'd use pure mineral oil.Other wise I agree completely. Nice coins with grime, well do a search on coin cleaning here. This should not be done by novices.

 

I thank the group for its collective wisdom, and the willingness to share the knowledge.

However, there is one thing that isn't sitting right. What I'm hearing is that using a soft cloth is bad, as it will leave 'scratches'/'hairs', etc... on coins, and that it should never be used on uncirculated coins. If y'all will indulge me, but I'd like to understand how that could be. It's been a while since I was in college, and even though it was Florida State (go Noles!) I did manage to take a real geology class. One of the principles learned was that only harder substances can scratch softer ones.
Is a silver coin softer than a cotton sock/cloth?

(I ask merely out of intellectual curiosity. I'm not trying to be rude or question the overwhelming good knowledge of the group.)

 

If there is grime on it, the cloth will rub the grime into the coin causing ugly scratches....

 

On uncirculated coins, using anything to rub the coin will cause it to lose some or all of the natural luster, and depending on the material in the cloth, can even cause very tiny hairlines across the coin's pristine surface. You also do not want to touch the surface with your fingers as the oils in your skin will ruin the natural luster and your fingerprint will tone over time leaving a spotty darker toning on the coin. Another thing to be careful about is "talking" over a "naked" coin. Whenever you talk, you spray tiny spit specks and if left on a coin, they will darken and sometimes even corrode the coin. That's usually where all those tiny specks you see on many coins came from.

 

..........doug is wise man............yes?

 

Thank you soooo much for the detailed reply Penny Lady. I have almost 6,700 wheat pennies and I have placed them all in the 2x2 cards without cleaning any of them. I have a few that were sooo dirty that I could not read the dates and I wanted to clean them ... should Ijust clean them or should I take the time to clean any coin that is dirty?

Thanks again for your help, Barry

 

Why would you want to use anything on a coin? Even Acetone I don't like. :headbang:

 

That was my original question ... just asked a different way as I had always been told to NEVER clean a coin with anything as it would effect the value of the coin ... but several people on here say that it is okay if done correctly and I am just getting their opinions on the subject.

 

MEK works great. But it gives you cancer. Ripley

 

Great .. just what we all want!!!! No thanks!!

 

Vinegar is basically dilute acetic acid. Using it, as well as any other acid, on a coin will permanently damage the surface.

 

Never would have thought of that in a million years, thanks Charmy.

 

IMO, if the coin is so dirty you can't read the date, what good is it to you or anyone else. I assume you know which dates are collectible and which are common. You should try these tips on the dirtiest and most common dates and see what you think.

 

Yes I know which ones are the best and that is why I said that I may just try the dirtiest coins that I have .. the few that are sooooo dirty that the dates cannot be read ... the rest I think I will leave alone as I can read the dates some ... and the ones that have any red showing at all I would never risk.

 

Don't clean your coins guys....please :bow: