Should you ever clean a coin?

As promised here is an scanned image of the 1908 Indian Cent today. The image was taken through the microscope with different lighting.

 

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As to cleaning any coin, mostly said already. My way of looking at cleaning a coin is mostly dependant on a few things. If the coin is not really valuable, nothing you plan on selling, want to see what it could look like, etc. then why not. Naturally if a coin is or could be valuable, best leave it alone. If you do have a coin that could use cleaning and no real value, then it is actually interesting to experiment. You would find out this way that so many people with claims of how they cleaned a coin may or may not be even the slightest bit true. Also, if you do clean a coin you would learn what a cleaned coin looks like so when you want to purchase a coin and it has been cleaned, better chance you would notice that.
I would suggest if you do plan on cleaning any coins at all you first start with non volitile, non explosive subtances regardless of how many suggest those. Remember if something goes wrong, those that recommended that substance will not pay for your hospital bills, help rebuild your house and wouldn't even send a get well card.

 

Coop as always great photos!!!!!

 

I appreciate your thought Jello. But you take great images also. The real exceptional images I re-cycle with credit to the photo artisest. I just edit them a little to make them stand out.

 

Excellant point Carl. All these years I've shyed away from the cleaning, when actually I could have been experimenting on coins of no value, learning more about what to look for when purchasing something I want. Plus, I'll throw in, that it is getting scary out there with all of the fakes that are being made nowadays.
Thanks Carl.

 

And remember that not all such coins are fakes. Many are counterfeits, forgeries, immatations, copies, replicas but not necessarilly a fake.:smile
If you do a search on this forum for coin cleaning or cleaning coins, etc you may find many, many suggestions as to what to use for cleaning. You'll see things like lighter fluid, orange juice, Vinegar, molases, baking soda and on and on and on. So at least you'll find you don't have to go out and buy anthing. Your kitchen is probably full of the most common coin cleaning substances known.

 

Indeed coop. And thanks for the method of cleaning. I might practice on some old pocket change. How do you take such great photos?

 

Some I take through a microscope through a digital camera. The last image of the 1908 Indian head was done with my scanner and edited to add my personal touch to the image. It's just something I enjoy doing. I've taken thousands of images and edited more than that. I like to push then envelope as far a I can to make it POP!
Here is one I edit a while ago for a discussion of a fake 1914-D Cent made from a 1944-D Cent. It gives a heads up to new collectors on what to watch for before they jump into a fraudulent purchase.

 

First - you need lighter fluid for an excellerant and then we need to invade Quebec.

Ruben

 

New users are warned in the strongest terms possible to not clean coins. With even experienced collectors, far more coins are damaged than effectively conserved.

It is really an advanced study to conserve a coin.

Ruben

 

If in fact you have coins from your Dad and from what it sounds like he is now gone. I too have many coins from my Dad. I would never clean those and even when I was a kid, for some reason I knew that something from my Dad was worth keeping as is. My Dad is gone now and all the coins he ever gave me are still here except a few and those I really feel bad about letting them go. They actually can not be replaced. Similar coins would not be the same thing.
In an instance like what you discribe, do not clean those coins at all for any reason. Those are now a family item that should stay like they are forever. Or am I being to sentimental.

 

I don't think there is any doubt that I had to clean this coin. There is no sentimental value to this one, so....
I made the mistake of trying to clean off 130 years worth of crud in a couple of days. I don't know if it CAN even be removed. I got desperate enough to try some Oxi-Clean on it.

I started with a little bit of these...Hot water, WD-40, Pam, baking soda, a few drops of brasso, and a few drops of lemon. I even froze it and then dropped it in hot water, hoping that it might expand and chip off. Don't laugh, it's my first shot at this, ha!

Anyway, it is pitted to the extent that I can't tell for sure what year it was, best guess is 1830?? I was reall surprised that the LIBERTY is still as strong as it was with all of the pitting. Perhaps that type held Liberty well.

I have told myself for 30 years I would never clean a coin, but it is knowledge, and I'm learing what to look for in coins. I don't think anybody knows it all, and we can all still learn.

Chuck

 

ROFL - Much Improved!

 

One minor thing I sort of forgot when it comes to cleaning coins. And that is the understatement I made as to a coins value. Try to remember that what is not valuable to you or me may well be exactly what someone else would want. By that I mean any time someone considers cleaning a so called not expensive or valueless coin, they should at least consider those that may want that coin. As an example I've heard many posts from so called experts on how to tell the differences in the 1982 Cents from all Copper to Zinc ones. One method is to drop it on a hard service and listen for the difference in sound. Nice suggestion if you don't care about a dent in a coin that someone would love to have in thier collection. Then too there was a recent suggestion about testing for toning with a torch. Next someone will come up with a six thousand degree welder for such tests. If if melts into a blob of copper, it WAS a Copper cent.
Experimenting on cleaning a coin should be done only on coins you really know are not valuable to someone else. Kind of a difficult suggestion though.

 

Boy - Cointalk is on a roll tonight! It must be the Mojo from Spencer's family portrait.

You guys have me drunk in laughter...

Never Forget the Cement Truck

 

I hear liquid Polymer Lucite is EXCELLENT at preserving coins.

 

I use a soft bristle brush. After I had cleaned under water and a"little" soap. I find this to work just fine. If you use a toothpick, take your time, like the post above says, it will leave marks if you push to hard. I would not try it first on this one though.

 

I found a way on a site. use a long marker.put a half pencil under the point where a real Copper coin 1981- under would tip it. Glue at that point. Now every penny you on there will tip it if it is copper. If not Zinc it.

 

SirCharlie: You might check the Red Book for images of the different designs of the large Cents. You might be able to match it up to an image of a certain era. Kind of looks like 1840-1856?