OK guys, here's the last word on cleaning - from a noted author

Ever hear of Spadone numbers for oriental coins? The term comes from the Catalog of Modern Japanese Korean Manchukuo Coins, published in 1960 by J.G.Spadone, in which he assigned numbers to individual coin designs from those areas.

I thought forum members might profit from some expert advice quoted from pages 9-10 of his delightful little tome:

CLEANING COINS: New coins should not be cleaned as they will lose their original mint lustre. Circulated coins should be cleaned periodically like a gun, for preservation, attractive display and individual value. (He was a military man, after all. )

COPPER COINS may be cleaned with liquid metal polish. If one coin is cleaned, all should be cleaned for uniformity of color.

SILVER COINS are best cleaned with baking soda and water. Add water until a paste is formed. Rub the coin with the paste, then dry with a soft cotton cloth. Continue this process until the coin is clean.

The last hope for a bad coin is a brass wire suede shoe brush to remove the difficult dirt. This may not scratch the coin noticeably if brushed fast enough.

 

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cleaning coins confession

I never used a wire brush, but in my youth, I once 'cleaned' a 1934 Australian Large Cent with a pencil eraser.

There! I've said it!

 

Would fast enough be 600 rpm's or 6,000 rpm's?

 

Do you think this was the beginning of whizzing?

 

The world has changed since 1960. Speaking of cleaning coins with a pencil eraser, this was the approved method of improving coins back about 1930-1960. (I believe that Wayte Raymond recommended this in is newsletters.) Before that, collectors painted their coins with shellac. It comes off now without damaging the surface, actually preserving the coin, in fact. We do not do this any more, either.

Baking soda is not a good idea.

We like original surfaces. Even "old cleaning" (and resultant retoing)lowers the price of a coin compared to an uncleaned example.

As for gun oil, etc., on copper coins, this is debatable. Again, the easiest path to virtue is to never clean a coin. That said, people who have been at this a while -- and mean serious numismatists who own businesses, publish articles and books, serve on boards, etc. -- will allow that xylol (xylene and alcohol) do not damage a copper coin. Copper is the kind of metal that can react favorably with lubricants. However, it is pretty easy to tell from arm's length when this has been done. The coin looks shiny and new and yet has its details missing.

Michael