Cleaning an Indian head penny?

[kelpike]

I do not have a tumbler yet. Is there any way to clean an indian head penny? The date is hard to read but I think it says 1864.

[beerdoodle]

Originally Posted by kelpike

I do not have a tumbler yet. Is there any way to clean an indian head penny? The date is hard to read but I think it says 1864.

could be an l, be careful.......

[kelpike]

I'm not very good with older coins because I never find any. Can you tell me what an l is?

[beerdoodle]

an "L" actually. One of the more valuable indian heads. Makers mark in the braid.

[ace250]

If it is a key date or older coin you probably don't want to put it through a tumbler - that will definately ruin most/all of any value the coin has today. I use water, toothpick, qtips and they come out great. Cover with a coating of wax in the end and you have a great looking coin.

[goes4ever]

from my website:
http://goes4ever.mymdforum.com/clean-finds/

I get PM’s, emails and questions on the forums almost daily as to how I clean my finds. A lot of people are unsure how to properly do it, and do not want to screw it up, or they just wonder how I get mine to turn out so well. I have no secrets hidden up my sleeve, so I will explain what I do to get my finds looking good, and display case ready.

SILVER COINS:
Silver coins, these are by far the easiest, but also the EASIEST to damage. It all starts when you first dig a silver coin. DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT attempt to field clean your silver coin in anyway shape or form, do NOT rub the coin to “see the date” or to see what coin it is etc……This will damage the coin by creating micro scratches all over where you rubbed it. Silver is soft and dirt is not, when you rub it, even if lightly, it will damage the silver by creating scratches on the coin. Now if this is a common date rosie or merc dime, no big deal. BUT what if it were a “key date” and you rubbed it? Well you just cut the value down severely. I carry a pill bottle with me and when I dig a silver coin, I place it directly in the bottle, no field cleaning at all. When I get home, I place the coin in a bowl of water for a few minutes to soften the dirt, then I hold it under running water to rinse it off. Normally this is all silver needs. If you have dirt left on the coin, and it is a common date, I take a toothbrush and dab up and down on the coin UNDER running water to free up the dirt. if it is a semi key or key date. I would wet the coin and take a q-tip and with an easy up and down motion dab the coin, to remove the dirt. There is no need to be in a hurry if it is a good date, TAKE your time!!!! I recently dug a 1916-D mercury dime and this is the method I used to get that last remaining dirt from in between the letters and details, worked like a charm and no scratches at all!

COPPER COINS:
This method can be used for wheats, indians, large cents, brass and copper tokens. Get the coin, or token wet, lay it on a wet towel, put on some dish soap, take a toothbrush and scrub vigorously, rinse and repeat if dirt remains, this might take a few times. Once 99% of dirt is gone, dry the coin by patting dry on a soft cloth, take a toothpick to pick out remaining dirt between numbers and letters, This is safe because wooden toothpicks are SOFTER than copper and will not scratch your coin or token. Then apply some wax to both sides, I use paraffin wax used for making candy and canning, rub it in both sides real well, then take a real soft cloth and buff off the excess wax, this restores the luster and protects as well
This really makes indians and wheats look absolutely wonderful.

NICKELS:
Nickels are the hardest of all coins in my opinion to make look good, and I have tried tons of methods that I have read online. Unless you have a key date nickel, it is going to carry very little value, so if you want to make it look better for your display case or coin folder then here is what I do. I buy SOS pads at walmart the kind with soap right in them. SOS pads are basically just a super fine steel wool. I get the pad wet and rub the nickel under running water with the SOS pad. It removes the built up gunk that nickels get on them and removes most of the red oxidation that nickels always have. Now it is up to you how much you want to remove. The longer you scrub the more red you get rid of. I simply just rub it long enough to remove the gunk and to be able to see the details, date etc better. Then I dry the coin and apply the wax to it as in the method above, works wonders on nickels as well as copper coins. I have tried vinegar, ketchup, lime a way, etc….and all of those methods pitted my nickels and my method using the SOS pads does not. Experiement on some older Jefferson nickels that are red to see how you like the results.

[kelpike]

Originally Posted by beerdoodle

an "L" actually. One of the more valuable indian heads. Makers mark in the braid.

I was able to clean it enough to see that it is dated 1864. I still can't tell if it has the L though. Thanks for the heads up. And thank you ace250, and goes4ever for the tips on cleaning.

[andrewjames]

Be careful! I ruined my first indian head penny while cleaning it! It was sadly my oldest coin that I've also found. RIP little penny :-(

[kelpike]

What method did you use to clean it?

[Bonesquat]

Originally Posted by goes4ever

from my website:
http://goes4ever.mymdforum.com/clean-finds/

I get PM’s, emails and questions on the forums almost daily as to how I clean my finds. A lot of people are unsure how to properly do it, and do not want to screw it up, or they just wonder how I get mine to turn out so well. I have no secrets hidden up my sleeve, so I will explain what I do to get my finds looking good, and display case ready.

SILVER COINS:
Silver coins, these are by far the easiest, but also the EASIEST to damage. It all starts when you first dig a silver coin. DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT attempt to field clean your silver coin in anyway shape or form, do NOT rub the coin to “see the date” or to see what coin it is etc……This will damage the coin by creating micro scratches all over where you rubbed it. Silver is soft and dirt is not, when you rub it, even if lightly, it will damage the silver by creating scratches on the coin. Now if this is a common date rosie or merc dime, no big deal. BUT what if it were a “key date” and you rubbed it? Well you just cut the value down severely. I carry a pill bottle with me and when I dig a silver coin, I place it directly in the bottle, no field cleaning at all. When I get home, I place the coin in a bowl of water for a few minutes to soften the dirt, then I hold it under running water to rinse it off. Normally this is all silver needs. If you have dirt left on the coin, and it is a common date, I take a toothbrush and dab up and down on the coin UNDER running water to free up the dirt. if it is a semi key or key date. I would wet the coin and take a q-tip and with an easy up and down motion dab the coin, to remove the dirt. There is no need to be in a hurry if it is a good date, TAKE your time!!!! I recently dug a 1916-D mercury dime and this is the method I used to get that last remaining dirt from in between the letters and details, worked like a charm and no scratches at all!

COPPER COINS:
This method can be used for wheats, indians, large cents, brass and copper tokens. Get the coin, or token wet, lay it on a wet towel, put on some dish soap, take a toothbrush and scrub vigorously, rinse and repeat if dirt remains, this might take a few times. Once 99% of dirt is gone, dry the coin by patting dry on a soft cloth, take a toothpick to pick out remaining dirt between numbers and letters, This is safe because wooden toothpicks are SOFTER than copper and will not scratch your coin or token. Then apply some wax to both sides, I use paraffin wax used for making candy and canning, rub it in both sides real well, then take a real soft cloth and buff off the excess wax, this restores the luster and protects as well
This really makes indians and wheats look absolutely wonderful.

NICKELS:
Nickels are the hardest of all coins in my opinion to make look good, and I have tried tons of methods that I have read online. Unless you have a key date nickel, it is going to carry very little value, so if you want to make it look better for your display case or coin folder then here is what I do. I buy SOS pads at walmart the kind with soap right in them. SOS pads are basically just a super fine steel wool. I get the pad wet and rub the nickel under running water with the SOS pad. It removes the built up gunk that nickels get on them and removes most of the red oxidation that nickels always have. Now it is up to you how much you want to remove. The longer you scrub the more red you get rid of. I simply just rub it long enough to remove the gunk and to be able to see the details, date etc better. Then I dry the coin and apply the wax to it as in the method above, works wonders on nickels as well as copper coins. I have tried vinegar, ketchup, lime a way, etc….and all of those methods pitted my nickels and my method using the SOS pads does not. Experiement on some older Jefferson nickels that are red to see how you like the results.

Heed this man's advice. He's found more old coins than all of us combined and you should see his pictures of coins. Amazing stuff. I use his methods too on my coins and get great results. Now G4E, tell me how to properly remove a rust stain off silver without scratching it.

[MetalMiner]

I had an IH I couldn't get the date off of I tryed soaking it. then what I did was I just used my finger nail & scraped the crud off & I was able to get most of the crud off & see the date. You could use the toothpick as suggested,but the toothpick falls apart to fast,I would try maybe a small diameter wood dowel sharpened a little, the wood dowell is a little harder than toothpicks,but it shouldn't damage the coin as the wood is softer than the coin.

[bassspencer]

Thanks!!! This is the best explaination I have seen!!!!!!

[hssea]

Yes, cleaning copper coins with a toothpick works great !! Wish I had the before and after pic of our last IH. The crud was so hard that I though the coin detail was gone. I soaked it for a in olive oil (I've got some really bad copper coins soaking for 2 weeks now,,,work on them a little each day) and then used the toothpick...Wow !!!!...it's great looking now !!

Here is the after pictures:

[Mike1961]

Originally Posted by goes4ever

from my website:
http://goes4ever.mymdforum.com/clean-finds/

I get PM’s, emails and questions on the forums almost daily as to how I clean my finds. A lot of people are unsure how to properly do it, and do not want to screw it up, or they just wonder how I get mine to turn out so well. I have no secrets hidden up my sleeve, so I will explain what I do to get my finds looking good, and display case ready.

SILVER COINS:
Silver coins, these are by far the easiest, but also the EASIEST to damage. It all starts when you first dig a silver coin. DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT attempt to field clean your silver coin in anyway shape or form, do NOT rub the coin to “see the date” or to see what coin it is etc……This will damage the coin by creating micro scratches all over where you rubbed it. Silver is soft and dirt is not, when you rub it, even if lightly, it will damage the silver by creating scratches on the coin. Now if this is a common date rosie or merc dime, no big deal. BUT what if it were a “key date” and you rubbed it? Well you just cut the value down severely. I carry a pill bottle with me and when I dig a silver coin, I place it directly in the bottle, no field cleaning at all. When I get home, I place the coin in a bowl of water for a few minutes to soften the dirt, then I hold it under running water to rinse it off. Normally this is all silver needs. If you have dirt left on the coin, and it is a common date, I take a toothbrush and dab up and down on the coin UNDER running water to free up the dirt. if it is a semi key or key date. I would wet the coin and take a q-tip and with an easy up and down motion dab the coin, to remove the dirt. There is no need to be in a hurry if it is a good date, TAKE your time!!!! I recently dug a 1916-D mercury dime and this is the method I used to get that last remaining dirt from in between the letters and details, worked like a charm and no scratches at all!

COPPER COINS:
This method can be used for wheats, indians, large cents, brass and copper tokens. Get the coin, or token wet, lay it on a wet towel, put on some dish soap, take a toothbrush and scrub vigorously, rinse and repeat if dirt remains, this might take a few times. Once 99% of dirt is gone, dry the coin by patting dry on a soft cloth, take a toothpick to pick out remaining dirt between numbers and letters, This is safe because wooden toothpicks are SOFTER than copper and will not scratch your coin or token. Then apply some wax to both sides, I use paraffin wax used for making candy and canning, rub it in both sides real well, then take a real soft cloth and buff off the excess wax, this restores the luster and protects as well
This really makes indians and wheats look absolutely wonderful.

NICKELS:
Nickels are the hardest of all coins in my opinion to make look good, and I have tried tons of methods that I have read online. Unless you have a key date nickel, it is going to carry very little value, so if you want to make it look better for your display case or coin folder then here is what I do. I buy SOS pads at walmart the kind with soap right in them. SOS pads are basically just a super fine steel wool. I get the pad wet and rub the nickel under running water with the SOS pad. It removes the built up gunk that nickels get on them and removes most of the red oxidation that nickels always have. Now it is up to you how much you want to remove. The longer you scrub the more red you get rid of. I simply just rub it long enough to remove the gunk and to be able to see the details, date etc better. Then I dry the coin and apply the wax to it as in the method above, works wonders on nickels as well as copper coins. I have tried vinegar, ketchup, lime a way, etc….and all of those methods pitted my nickels and my method using the SOS pads does not. Experiement on some older Jefferson nickels that are red to see how you like the results.

If you need to clean a coin this is the best advice you will find.

[BKM]

NICKELS:
Nickels are the hardest of all coins in my opinion to make look good, and I have tried tons of methods that I have read online. Unless you have a key date nickel, it is going to carry very little value, so if you want to make it look better for your display case or coin folder then here is what I do. I buy SOS pads at walmart the kind with soap right in them. SOS pads are basically just a super fine steel wool. I get the pad wet and rub the nickel under running water with the SOS pad. It removes the built up gunk that nickels get on them and removes most of the red oxidation that nickels always have. Now it is up to you how much you want to remove. The longer you scrub the more red you get rid of. I simply just rub it long enough to remove the gunk and to be able to see the details, date etc better. Then I dry the coin and apply the wax to it as in the method above, works wonders on nickels as well as copper coins. I have tried vinegar, ketchup, lime a way, etc….and all of those methods pitted my nickels and my method using the SOS pads does not. Experiement on some older Jefferson nickels that are red to see how you like the results.[/QUOTE]



This worked great for me, thanks!

I had a couple of nickles from the beach including my first Buffalo that were really ruddy. The steel wool did the trick nicely. And if you're patient and careful, you decide how much comes off.

[goes4ever]

thanks for the kind comments, BKM and Mike

[Beefcake]

I've done this many times... on the ones that still have a green patina to them, I use boiling peroxide, wood toothpic, and Q-tip. I get a 1/4 cup plastic measuring cup and fill it about 3/4 with peroxide and put it in the microwave until it starts to boil...which about 20-30 seconds. Put the coin in and let it bubble while rubbing it with the q-tip to remove dirt. I use the toothpic to flip the coin (careful very hot) and then rub the other side. I let it sit for a few minutes until the peroxide begins to cool. I take the coin out and use the toothpick to scratch away the harder gunk... Re-heat the peroxide and do the same again. This takes several cycles, but it does seem to get the gunk off. After you are satisfied with the gunk removal, I put a little wax on them and it retains a nice green patina and usually cleans pretty well. Mind you, farm field indians are a bit harder to clean because of the chemicals from fertilizer over the years and results tend to never be great, but you can still use this method to get a date off of one that is pretty crusty...

[rfjuice]

I use olive oil and a toothpick to clean Indians and wheats. Here is an example of a before and after with my first Indian. I soaked it for 3 days in olive oil before attempting to remove its crud.

I started cleaning before I remembered to take a picture.



Then after the cleaning:



It was wedged between 2 rocks, so I imagine it was being ground every freeze/thaw cycle.

[lonestar007]

Somebody send me email about using cucumber cleaning different stuff.
Don't have any old coins, but my guess slice of cucumber should not harm any metal...