Cleaned Coins

Okay, so... make sure it is pure, and test cleaning methods on crummy coins... To bad I don't have too many crummy coins... All right, when I get some spare cash, I'll update you all one the cleaning.

 

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Some of my uncle's coins were black and tarnished I hate dirty things, I used a brillo pad on them and they are shinny and new.
The date on one of them I thing is a 1879,and it says one cent maybe as big as todays quarter or larger. I'm waiting for my son so I could put them on the page here.

I did about 5 of them to see ,if I could get the junk off. I have to say it worked.Now is this a safe way to clean a coin,they sure look good ,like there new ?
Thanks Jane

 

I am not certain, but it seems that I have seen fine or refined acetone in the fine arts section of some craft stores, or in a art supplies catelog. It would be with the section holding oil painting supplies.

 

"Uhhhh... yeah..." - Office Space boss

 

Always a good idea.

Ditto.

Acetone is a solvent, not a reactant; it is almost inert and will not have a chemical reaction with the oxidized surface.

In other words - it might remove crud which is on the surface, but will not effect that which is of the surface. Dark black toning on silver is of the surface; the elemental silver has been oxidized i.e. a chemical reaction has taken place. Solvents will have no effect on the oxidized skin.

 

For those who like acetone...

Consider using MEK (methyl ethyl ketone). It is very similar to acetone*, but is less volatile. It evaporates more slowly and is a bit safer to work with.




*Acetone is dimethyl ketone; the difference vs MEK is MEK has one more carbon in the chain. The solvent properties are almost identical, as are the inert chemical properties.

 

ALWAYS use these solvents in very well ventilated areas !

I do mine OUTDOORS, upwind of all solvents. If you can smell the solvent, you're doing it wrong. Get a fan or something.

 

Are you joking? No, it's not a safe way to clean them. To give you an idea, I've been (nearly) scolded on this site for pressing mint state coins into an album....by the edges.......with cotton gloves on! It is a firm belief that anything that touches the surface will permanently alter the surface and degrade the coin.

Not to be rude, but where do you think that leaves the brillo pad method? If you have anymore, I wouldn't clean them. If they were worth $200 a piece dirty, they're likely almost unsellable now. Sorry.

If that post isn't an argument for TPG slabs, I don't what is!!!

 

lol Great movie and applicable quote.

 

I had know idea about, the Brillo pads, i;m new to all this and i'm just trying to sell all my uncles coins, You mean if one of my coins were worth 2 hundred dollars and I cleaned it with brillo there not worth anything now. Well that really makes me depressed now.


Could I fix the the coin and clean it with something else to bring it back and sellable "?


My son said it's ok to clean them with brillo,he said you clean your pots with it don't you,to get the black off them.
I don 't mean to be stupid I just took my sons advice.
Thanks Jane

 

I use Wd 40 for glue residue, works good on plexiglass with no scratches

 

Becoming Obvious

It may not be~Becoming Obvious.

But there is a difference, Yes?

 

Good stuff in here! As a type coin collector I have seen all varieties of cleaned coins. The main thing I look for is good color, some coins are cleaned and look very good, others are very shiney bright and down right ugly. If it is horribly cleaned you will be able to tell. If it isn't and looks good to you put it in your collection. I agree too, grab some junk coins and some different cleaning products, and clean coins like a madman for a few weeks, you'll start to see what they look like first hand then.

 

As an example:
If you have a $200 coin from an inherited collection, large or small, the person was saving it for some reason and let it get that way maybe not knowing how to preserve it any better than what he/she was doing. Here his niece or daughter inherits it and thinks it should be cleaned not realizing that in coin collecting cleaning is a great big NO NO. This because the worst thing to do is scratch the coin and any kind of "common" cleaner will do that. Well the coin gets cleaned and with one of the worst scratchers in the world, Brillo. Now the coin is nice and shiny and pretty so the daughter takes it to someone like a coin dealer/jewler and says " I have this coin my father was saving and he said it was worth $200. When the dealer/jewler examines the coin he/she is flabbergasted because of what he/she sees. He say this coin is only worth face value because somebody cleaned and it is not collectible anymore.
I'm sorry to say if you did what you said you did with Brillo then you fit the shoes of the above daughter. There is NO WAY to recover that coin from what the daughter did to it. Very sorry, almost tragic.

 

Alot of the ancients have holes in them because they had no pockets
Just a tid bit

 

Now your talkin' about me. How'd you like to have a little go'round with Brillo pads? Eh! Take that,,scrub, scrub. And that. I maybe old but not ancient at least after I've been up a couple of hours. lol

 

It's ok. You're not the first person to do it and definitely not the last. I'm sure your son meant well by coming up with the logical solution but in reality, it kills the value. The problem is, polishing with anything, leaves fine scratches all over the surface that are permanent. They are highly visible under magnification. There's no going back once it's done.

It used to be common practice to clean coins in the old days and generally was accepted. But I think they were pretty careful about it. A brillo pad would be considered "harshly cleaned" and they could never get more than that on the slab. They're ungradeable now.

Collectors who pay big money for coins strive to find uncleaned ones with original surfaces. Even if they're black. That's just a natural process they go through. Eventually what you cleaned will be black again some day. At least you came here and now you know for the future.

You're only 50% at fault. Your uncle takes the other 50% of the blame for not educating anybody about them or leaving notes.

 

Jane; Your coin is still worth something, I checked and there was no large cents made by a US mint after 1855. If the coin is dated 1879 and has one cent on it, it would have to be an Indian Head, which was minted starting in 1859. A 1879 coin in the latest price guide ranges from $7.00 for a g-4 which is a condition where the word LIBERTY on the bonnet is completely worn off, to $300.00 for a ms-65 which is a coin that is near perfect, no sign of wear on any high points and no contact marks. More than likely your coin is in the 20-40 range now after you cleaned it. Which is a $33-$75 dollar spread. I am new at this also so I know how you feel. Go on the internet and type iin "coin cleaning" to get professional advice on which methods and chemicals to use for cleaning coins, there are a multitude of processes.

 

So helpful all of you, I learned something from you people all the time/
I love all of you,I wish my ex was as kind as you guys.:hug:

Jane Thanks

 

Consider it a lesson that you have learned, now go tell your son so he never makes that horrible mistake again.