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Message:: [QUOTE="littlehugger, post: 2108195, member: 58633"]The reason for there being harsh cleaning methods espoused on the web, is ignorance. Lots of people who do not collect want to advise, so you get the baking soda and vinegar, or rock tumbler advice. Rough as hell on coins, but often used by metal detectorists, as common change dug up in salt sand, or dirt, can really corrode, especially zinc cents. Banks are not happy about that. I have used the harsh methods for dug coins, and I found another trick that works well, is to mix in the dug coins with large quantities of coins from searched rolls. They blend right in. As a kid, I tried shining up a few old Wheaties with a pencil eraser. Funky looking. I wonder about mild, non-destructive methods. I have read that some soak their coins in olive oil. Successful? What kind of results? Does it give copper a weird color? Is it detectable? How about sonic cleaners? Boiling? Jackhammers? Personally, I feel there is a difference between cleaning and washing. Cannot see how soap and water are destructive. It seems copper and nickels, (which are 75% copper) are the biggest problems, although I do prefer a silver coin to be silver colored. Nor am I talking blast white or mint luster. Just the intended silver color. I am always tempted to wash my silver.[/QUOTE]