Discuss coin conservation and show your conservation attempts in this thread. In one of my 3¢ each wheat cent bags I found this coin: A very nice 1921-S cent, but dirty. Tilting it under a light revealed that the coin was covered in a residue of some kind. Overnight in acetone and a few q-tips, and this is the result:
Nice. Stop there. Go no further. You've done the best you can. Further action will result in the ugly word, "cleaned".
Good job. Copper is problematic to do anything with. According to Doug (@GDJMSP) it can be dipped, but I don't know how
Another 1921-S I obtained out of 3¢ each coins. Took this before acetone. After acetone: Might benefit further from xylene or verdicare
well I suppose someone has to try it and see what works and doesn't work, you might as well be the one to do it, and you're doing it on cheapies anyways so thats good. worst case it's still a 3 cent wheat cent. I think so far it's improvements.good job.
I've read through previous threads on whether or not to do this. Some of us who are really experienced with this say not to, since acetone dries out a coin's surface (this is a good thing, since moisture is a copper coin's worst enemy). I personally don't, but would like to hear from those who do.
This is a reprint that I put on the Chem Lab and BioLabs as they are issued a glassware set that they must clean and be sure is dry before locking it away in their drawer. Might answer some of the thoughts. http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2003-08/1060116066.Ch.r.html Jim
Old chem stuff...I remember something called a "Calcutta Bottle" which was an Erlenmeyer flask with a stopper and a medicine dropper glass part placed with the spout outside the bottle used to dispense acetone for drying in a very thrifty manner, the flask was held to dispense the acetone and it dispensed as your hand warmed the air in the flask...
