I like Cleaned Coins and you should to thread

I have never cleaned a coin before in my life, but my 1oz German coin has been doing my nut in since I acquired it 4 years ago. The toning was uneven and blotchy and not at all attractive.

Tonight I stumbled across this video on youtube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp62AvR7kFM&feature=g-hist

Tin foil, Baking Soda + Salt in Hot water. No scrubbing coin, just drop it in and watch the tarnish vanish in a flash. It did just that.

Here is a before and after of the same coin.

 

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What? No lighter fluid?

 

That was a big risk

 

But that is not a coin anyway.

Christian

 

I thought it was a risk worth taking.

 

I didn't want to say that because i didn't know

 

now you know

 

I use a spray of distilled vinegar, let sit for about 10 15 seconds, then a spray of peroxide and immediately wipe gently with a cotton terry, works wonders on those primordial ooze looking splotches of dead skin laden mucus. Doesn't really harm the coin either because the chemical reaction between the vinegar and peroxide only happens for a second.

 

do not clean coins

 

really? I should try that on my 1856 Flying Eagle cent.

 

I disagree. DO clean coins.

 

Dont clean coins if you want to eventually sell them for a good price...unless its so dirty you can't see the date/mintmark.

 

Originally Posted by VNeal
do not clean coins

Kind of like the admonition of "Just Say No To Drugs And Sex". Just do it right.

 

I soaked this coin in acetone for somewhere around 32 hours to see if that blotch would come off. Do you believe I changed the coins appearance? It doesn't appear as black. Is that bad to remove the blackness?
Before:

After:

 

Did you try a hammer and a very small chisel and a clamp.

 

Buddy16cat, that is a tough coin you got there. Don't think that you have a shot at an MS coin here, so you might as well resort to harsher measures. Perhaps try water with or without soap and the acetone again. After that maybe the hammer, small chisel and clamp, or some kind of dip.

 

That coin is one I found in a box of dimes, so it cost me 10 cents. I am looking at the before and after and don't see much of a change in color but I do see that little orange thing start to disappear. I started with alcohol for a minute or two, went to distilled water, then acetone. I threw it back in the acetone since I did see a favorable change. I am not trying to change the color, I just want to get rid of any crud and the orange thing stuck to it.

 

Gave this method a try tonight on the barber quarter in my type collection display. I have been planning on replacing the coin because the blotchy tarnishing had gotten to the point where I didn't enjoy looking at it anymore. You got such nice results that I figured it was worth a shot. Here's what happened:




You can still see some dull patches where the darker tarnish spots were located, and removing the tarnish brought out some light scratches that weren't as visible before. But I personally think that this is a huge improvement! I no longer feel the need to seek out and purchase a replacement coin, this one now suits my collection just fine. I suppose that this method is technically "cleaning", and I'm sure that some of you will take issue with it. But, how can you not find the after picture more aesthetically pleasing that the before? Whats the point of collecting something if you do not appreciate looking at it?

 

I have this issue. I found an 1949 roosie with a big glob of who knows what covering a large part of the reverse including where the mintmark would be. The value of the coin depends on the mintmark since 1949s is a key, 1949p is a semi-key, and 1949d is worth the least.