Washing circulated silver coins with mild soap and water

Jim,
I see little gains in an old quarter ($0.25). It's a highly stamped coin by volume made (6,900,000,000).

If we take away one-half of that production, there is still 3 billion left.

I agree with buying what you can't afford in order to do well. The price of a Barber, a Standing Liberty, or a Washington quarter is still $3.

My older Morgan's look expensive.

The easy trade today is the gold coins in any weight or any denomination.

 

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Must...not...clean...coins...ever......

 

Use a sonic cleaner. You only use warm water. Then place the better ones after-woulds in a glass bowl with warm/hot water and some baking soda. Place a piece of aluminum foil that has been rubbed with sandpaper and then place the coin in just touching the foil and watch. Do again, if not surface tarnish, is still there.

 

That may be the old school opinion, but I don't agree with it.

The future of the coin market is in old gold coins with some respect to the older Morgan's.

I think the Morgan's will do well:


I think the Peace Dollars are at a very good price today.

 

Well if you don’t agree with our opinions, why did you ask the question in the first place as if you were seeking advice?

 

And this is the problem: you asked for our advice and the majority says DON'T CLEAN then but your mind was made up before asking. Also you have your facts wrong. Yes, I'm sure it was a mistake. We all make them but cleaning a coin is a big mistake. Earlier you stated that from 1951 to 1964 6.9 billion quarters were minted yet in your post to Jim (desertgem) you stated that you "see little gains in an old quarter" and that "it's a highly stamped coin by volume (6,900,000,000)." First, coins are minted, not stamped. Dollar bills are printed, not stamped. Stamping is what the post office does. And the highest mintage quarter is a 1965 (clad) with a total mintage of 1,819,717,540 according to my new Red Book. Only 4 quarters, all clads, have a mintage exceeding 1 billion. As I said, you'll say it was an error but if your facts are not correct in this I must ask if you have the correct facts for cleaning old,dirty, high mintage junk value only quarters?
Many recent clad quarter mintages are the same as silver quarter issues. The last 5 US Territory quarters and a lot of the America The Beautiful quarters for example. And we all know that despite what you call "high mintages" a good number are non existent. You own them. Do as you will but don't ask for our advice when you've already made up your mind.
Oh, and every dealer I know charges a premium for Liberty and Barber Quarters. Why? Because they are getting scarcer as time goes by. Yes the mintages are lower than Washington Quarters. Try and find a 1951-S or a 1955-D in your junk Quarters and they are in the date range you provided as "high mintages".

 

I’m not wasting any more of my time with this guy.

 

Same here my friend.

 

I never disagreed with you. I never asked for your advice.

 

If you have a rare coin that has been cleaned it will still sell for good money on Ebay. Of course not as much as a non cleaned coin.

 

@TheFinn, I think you're missing the point on why we don't clean coins. Soaking them in soap and water may not fit your personal definition of "cleaning," but that's not the game, it's not a word game. I'll guarantee you this. You soak them in soap and water, the surface is going to be diminished for it, foregone conclusion. That superficial film, or what we otherwise reference as "patina" or just plain "luster," is like the icing on the cake, and you're messing with it. You're not scrubbing behind the ears, I'll grant you that, but you don't need to to impair it. Whatever damage you impart, it's irreversible. And that's it in a nut.

 

Just sayin'...

 

Anyone that posts on CT, in any forum, and asks for suggestions, comments, advice or ideas is asking for our opinion.

 

Talking with this OP is a waste of breath better used for cooling hot soup.

 

Lol. Don't forget tea, coffee or hot cocoa.

 

Being a native Texan, I try to hold some in reserve for chili.

 

I don't wash any silver coins. For Clad coins, just plain water and baking soda and make it thick and rub it against gently with a wet cloth. All dirt comes off easily. Don't soak them either. Works all the time.

 

With or without beans and a little sweat of course? Lol

 

take a look at them with a 10 power loupe, you'll see the hairline scratches that result from that rubbing with baking soda. Congrats, you now have cleaned coins.

 

And the soap and water is used to remove the gunk that is already reacting with that luster. If the coin is only tarnished, there is no need to wash it. But if it is dirty, then it needs to be removed. This is not a blanket method. I won't use acetone to clean coins - especially copper - because of how it messes with the luster and raw metal surfaces. For polar solvents, IPA is as tough as I will use.