I picked up some coins from an old collection today that are in the good old cardboard 2x2's and ran across something odd (at least to me). Several have some discoloration that is a blue/green color instead of the funky normal toning or tarnishing. What's on these coins?
The Tarnex was definately a joke. I've got acetone in the shop. What is the correct procedure? A quick dip, long dip, lil on a Q-Tip and gently rub followed by a soak in distilled water?
Probably not PVC damage. That is what people say when they don't know. Prior to any chemicals, try just soaking the coin in distilled water. Place some on a clean glass dish, put the coin in and allow to soak for several hours. If this fails, then the Acetone could be next. However, prior to that, make sure you only use a clean GLASS container. Place the coin in a GLASS jar, add the Acetone, cover and allow to sit for a minimum of several hours. Remove the coins and rinse with distilled water, place on a cotton cloth, blow dry with a hair dryer on warm, not hot setting. If all this fails, do not attempt any further cleaning unless you don't care about the coin. A tip on using Acetone. Always place some on a clean, glass dish and allow to evaporate. If there is any residue at all, discard the Acetone as being contaminated. Never use metal or plastic utensils when handling the coin in the presence of Acetone.
Are you saying not to use plastic because acetone will disolve some types of plastic, or for some other reason? Why no metal? I ask because I've been using these small plastic cups when using acetone and I'd hate to be doing something unwise... It's funny, I ruined a perfectly good set of plastic coin tongs the first time I used acetone... lol.
I do that... it's cold and will dry out your skin a bit, but it's fairly beneign stuff. It's the primary ingredient in nail polish remover after all!
