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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;gsimonel, post: 2820931, member: 82549&quot;]Hi MFish. Welcome to the forum.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cleaning ancient coins was a recent topic of discussion (<a href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/coin-cleaning-help.300290/" class="internalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cointalk.com/threads/coin-cleaning-help.300290/">https://www.cointalk.com/threads/coin-cleaning-help.300290/</a>). Here&#039;s a copy of what I wrote there:</p><p><br /></p><p>*****</p><p><br /></p><p>Consider following &quot;Glenn&#039;s Ever-Increasing Cycle of Harshness&quot; when cleaning coins. (I just made this term up.) Always start at the lowest level and work your way up. Totally exhaust the possibility of success at one level before moving on to the next. </p><p><br /></p><p>Glenn&#039;s Ever-Increasing Cycle of Harshness:</p><p>1) brush off with a toothbrush with the vinyl bristled trimmed down to about 1/8&quot;. If needed, pick at the dirt with a toothpick or bamboo skewer;</p><p><br /></p><p>2) soak in distilled or de-ionized water (never tap water) for a few days to a week or so and then scrub with a toothbrush and some mild dish washing liquid. Rinse off and put back in DW and wait some more. Repeat for a few weeks or months or until you can&#039;t see any improvement;</p><p><br /></p><p>3) repeat the above, but then lightly scrub the coin with a brass bristle brush. Bronze coins only! Never use a brass brush on a silver coin. Check the coin carefully to make sure you aren&#039;t damaging the patina. Brass is softer than bronze, so the bristles won&#039;t scratch the metal, but some coins, usually light green to green in color, have very soft patinas, and you can ruin this kind of a patina with a brass brush. Never use a steel bristle brush--it will scratch the metal;</p><p><br /></p><p>4) Make a brass tool by buying a brass rod from a hobby or hardware store and filing one end into a sharp point. Look at the coin under a stereo microscope and use your brass tool to pick dirt out of crevices. Best to have a couple of different tools with different points--blade-like, needle-like, etc.;</p><p><br /></p><p>5) Electrolysis. The last straw, used only in desperation. Will strip off everything on the surface and take you down to bare metal. Contrary to what a lot of people say, it will not cause pitting or destroy the surface of the coin, but it will reveal any problems that may have been hiding under the patina (such as pitting or a destroyed surface).</p><p><br /></p><p>Many people experiment with different chemicals. I haven&#039;t found any that I thought worked very well, but if you want to try some, I&#039;d suggest inserting their use between steps 4 and 5. Never use any acid, such as lemon juice or Pepsi, though. They will eat into the coin&#039;s surface. You&#039;re better off just going with electrolysis.</p><p><br /></p><p>*****</p><p><br /></p><p>As to whether or not crusties are worth it, it depends on what you paid for them and what your goal is. You&#039;re not going to buy any nice ancient coins for $1-2 each, so why not try your luck with a couple of crusties? If someone is asking $4-5 each, however, then they&#039;d better be nicer than the average crusty that you find on eBay. Cleaning coins is an inexpensive way to get introduced to ancient coins. No harm in it, in my opinion. </p><p><br /></p><p>That is, except for the &quot;gateway&quot; effect . . .[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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