TnRob
Full Member
I have a buddy in the coin business and he says not to clean or just soak coins in water or olive oil (coppers). Be very gentile when cleaning...
Coin collector says no
- Thread starter TnRob
- Start date
Payloadjim
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2014
- Messages
- 1,874
As a kid, I was told NOT to clean coins at all. I am not an avid coin shooter or collector. But I do have quite a few coins. I wash them is all I do. Thanks for the info. though.... wondered if I was correct.
amc rulz
Forum Supporter
If you want to put your coin in an ACIDIC organic solution, than soak it in olive oil. I've ruined a few that way.
Clean coins like a Gentile
I was collecting coins in the early 60s, and would buy the leading collecting magazines (Coin World and Coinage). I don't remember which I read this in, but they said that baking soda was OK to clean silver coins. I remember that they recommended that you buy drug store sodium bicarbonate, and not use the "Arm and Hammer" stuff. So cleaning has not always been taboo.
Jason in Enid
Elite Member
It REALLY depends on the coins we are talking about. 99% of what we dig has so little collector value that you can clean them with sandpaper and it wouldn't matter. Also, if you can't read the date or see any other details, it's a worthless piece of metal until you clean it enough to know what it is. If it turns out to be an ultra-rare coin, then proceed more carefully, but you can't cry over a tiny bit of cleaning "damage" when you are just removing corrosion to see what it really is.
Chad
Elite Member
Clean coins like a Gentile
hahahhh Genitles are much more gentle when cleaning coins!
Jason in Enid
Elite Member
GabbityGabby
Elite Member
In the book Coin Collecting for Dummies (written by professional coin dealer Neil Berman and Ron Guth, President of the Professional Coin Grading Service), it says essentially the same thing: that improper cleaning of a coin can ruin it and is best left to professionals. The only kind of "cleaning" Ron advocates in the book is gently whisking away surface dirt with an artist's paintbrush or running the coin under plain water and then patting (not rubbing) it dry with a 100% cotton cloth (fibers in paper towels can cause microabrasions on the coin's surface). He also cautions non-professionals against the use of commercially available "dip" cleaners, which can erode a coin's surface if overused. If you must dip your coins, he suggests diluting the solution with water first and not dipping coins of different metals into the same solution. He warns to never dip copper coins, only nickel ones.
While "shiny" coins do look nicer, the book warns that coin dealers look suspiciously at older, circulated coins that are unnaturally bright, which often means they have undergone harsh cleaning methods damaging to the coin. The natural, colorful "toning" that silver coins acquire overtime is actually desirable in many cases and may add to the coin's value. Additionally, reputable coin grading services will often refuse to grade coins that have been chemically cleaned.
I highly recommend this book, Coin Collecting for Dummies, to all detectorists and coin collectors. It tells how to safely handle, transport, and store your collection, provides a brief history of some of the country's most popular coins, and has a list of the 10 most valuable coins on the market today.
Payloadjim
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2014
- Messages
- 1,874
Thanks Gabbity, good info. Maybe I should write my own book. I'll call it, "The Dummy that collects coins" lol
achaios
Forum Supporter
I think there are very few ancient coins which haven't been cleaned in *some* way. Silver coins can get "horn silver", which is an actual chemical change. I don't remember how to handle that.
Bronze coins can get "bronze disease", which is actually contagious. I think it is some sort of chloride problem that will continue to progress, especially in high humidity, and can contaminate other coins. I believe that after picking as much away as you can, you have to soak the coin in sodium sesquicarbonate to combine with the rest of the bad compound. It's not a quick process.
Us collectors of ancient coins, while still appreciating nice coins, have different standards than collectors of more modern coins. I say "collectors of ancient coins" rather than "ancient coin collectors", because many collectors of modern coins are more ancient than me.
-- Tom
Bronze coins can get "bronze disease", which is actually contagious. I think it is some sort of chloride problem that will continue to progress, especially in high humidity, and can contaminate other coins. I believe that after picking as much away as you can, you have to soak the coin in sodium sesquicarbonate to combine with the rest of the bad compound. It's not a quick process.
Us collectors of ancient coins, while still appreciating nice coins, have different standards than collectors of more modern coins. I say "collectors of ancient coins" rather than "ancient coin collectors", because many collectors of modern coins are more ancient than me.
-- Tom
You know what pains me? Watching videos like some of the most profitable detectorists out there and watching them wipe the dirt off a silver coin.
I learned the hard way that was taboo. Tis life in the big city, everyone has the right to do what they want with their finds. I just cringe!!
I learned the hard way that was taboo. Tis life in the big city, everyone has the right to do what they want with their finds. I just cringe!!
GabbityGabby
Elite Member
I think there are very few ancient coins which haven't been cleaned in *some* way. Silver coins can get "horn silver", which is an actual chemical change. I don't remember how to handle that.
Bronze coins can get "bronze disease", which is actually contagious. I think it is some sort of chloride problem that will continue to progress, especially in high humidity, and can contaminate other coins. I believe that after picking as much away as you can, you have to soak the coin in sodium sesquicarbonate to combine with the rest of the bad compound. It's not a quick process.
Us collectors of ancient coins, while still appreciating nice coins, have different standards than collectors of more modern coins. I say "collectors of ancient coins" rather than "ancient coin collectors", because many collectors of modern coins are more ancient than me.
-- Tom
Interesting, I've never heard of "bronze disease." Just goes to show that moisture and chloride are enemies to coins of any age, which is why it's important to store any coins in a dry place and in a holder/container which is PVC (polyvinyl chloride)-free. PVC is a chemical added to plastics to give them flexibility. If it leaks onto your coins through the material (which it can) irreversible damage can occur as the chemical eats into the metal. In less severe cases, the PVC "film" can be removed with acetone but this is a risky process. PVC can affect all coins and any coin which has traces of PVC is usually unacceptable to a coin grading service and has lost much of its collector's value.
A tip I've heard is to put one of those moisture-absorbing packets in with your coins. You know, the ones that come with vitamins and stuff (I think they're called silica gel packs). This will help to keep humidity from getting onto your coins.
When I first starts coin collecting, that's what I was told by one of my teachers in school. I see others using all kinks of thing on coins but even to this day I just wash them in water.
leozdad
Junior Member
Ok I'm very new to the hobby. When you do find a coin what is the best way to clean off the initial dirt to see what it is? Do you use a brush or something? Sorry if it's a dumb question, I'm a noobie !
Porsche914
Elite Member
A guy in my club dug a 1916 D Merc and was extremely careful not to harm the coin.....his hunting buddy asked to see it and proceeded to rub all of the dirt off the coin. 
Porsche914
Elite Member
Leozdad, this may sound extreme but I never clean in the field. I don't know enough about all of the key dates out there and I do not want to ruin a coin by trying to see the date. Water is a good way to start.
I had the owner of a coin shop show me one time how just rubbing a coin with a cloth or paper towel can leave micro scratches that drop a coin into the cleaned category.
Jamflicker
Elite Member
Unless it's rare I clean all my silver. I like it shiny, plus a black oxidized rosie isn't worth any more and a cleaned shiny rosie.
