Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;cdcda, post: 10890, member: 941&quot;]GunLocators, that is a tough question. Personally, I do not believe there is a best way to clean a coin as doing so removes the &quot;age&quot; or patina of the piece.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problem is that when most people ask about &quot;cleaning&quot; they are really using the wrong terminology. Cleaning technically refers to removing debris or other foreign materials from the surface of a coin. If for instance, you dug up a coin when metal detecting it may need to be cleaned to remove the dirt and debri.</p><p><br /></p><p>When most people ask about cleaning what they are really asking is how do I restore the coin to a shiny like new condition - removing any discoloration, patina, etc. Recognizing that the surface of the coin itself has changed due to exposure to the elements (just like copper turns green with exposure to oxygen and just like your silver candlesticks tarnish) it is impossible to restore a coin, or to more the patina, tarnish, etc. without removing some of the surface of the coin itself.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you attempt to &quot;clean&quot; a coin what you will end up with is a coin that lacks any age and looks unnatural. And, as it does again begin to age the colors it may take on will not look as they should on a normally aged coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>That being said, there are times when it may be required or advisable to stop what is occurring to the surface of a coin. To do this is not a process that should be attempted be the average collector and instead should be left to a professional. I suggest checking out <a href="http://www.ncscoin.com" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.ncscoin.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.ncscoin.com</a> if you are interested in &quot;conservation&quot;.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in