Found with my MXT Pro, hense the MXT forum......
I found this 1936 Nickel a couple weeks ago and just now decided to try cleaning it since its only worth about 50 cents. This Nickel is extremely crusted with a dark green, almost black, crust. Where the crust is missing or naturally chipped away near the edges, ect, the nickel is rust red. I read about a few methods to clean old nickels and decided that ANY harsh cleaning on old coins is strickly reserved for NON-valuable culls or common dates, ect. This coin had no value to me except for keepsake and eye appeal, eventually to be passed to my children when they're older so I figured in this case it won't damage to coin to try a new method of cleaning it.
I used Distilled White Vinegar in a coffee cup and microwaved it until steaming hot and added Salt and stirred until disolved. Then I added the nickel and made sure it was propped up against the side of the cup so it was standing on its edge so both sides were exposed to the liquid. After 30 minutes I removed it and rinsed it off and placed it in the palm of my hand and added baking soda with just enough water(couple drops) to make a paste about the thickness of pancake batter. I rubbed this soda paste in a circular pattern using my finger for about a minute, You could quickly see the soda turned green/black. I rinsed it with water and placed it back into the vinegar/salt because it was only about halfway cleaned at this point. After another 30 minutes and repeating the exact same steps as before it is finished. I made sure to get good before/after pics to decide if it was a good method or not. What do you think?
I found this 1936 Nickel a couple weeks ago and just now decided to try cleaning it since its only worth about 50 cents. This Nickel is extremely crusted with a dark green, almost black, crust. Where the crust is missing or naturally chipped away near the edges, ect, the nickel is rust red. I read about a few methods to clean old nickels and decided that ANY harsh cleaning on old coins is strickly reserved for NON-valuable culls or common dates, ect. This coin had no value to me except for keepsake and eye appeal, eventually to be passed to my children when they're older so I figured in this case it won't damage to coin to try a new method of cleaning it.
I used Distilled White Vinegar in a coffee cup and microwaved it until steaming hot and added Salt and stirred until disolved. Then I added the nickel and made sure it was propped up against the side of the cup so it was standing on its edge so both sides were exposed to the liquid. After 30 minutes I removed it and rinsed it off and placed it in the palm of my hand and added baking soda with just enough water(couple drops) to make a paste about the thickness of pancake batter. I rubbed this soda paste in a circular pattern using my finger for about a minute, You could quickly see the soda turned green/black. I rinsed it with water and placed it back into the vinegar/salt because it was only about halfway cleaned at this point. After another 30 minutes and repeating the exact same steps as before it is finished. I made sure to get good before/after pics to decide if it was a good method or not. What do you think?
