Cleaning finds

[newtohunting]

Hi friends,

After finding my first barber dime in very good condition, I found my first IH penny. It has the typical green stuff and some build up. Can you use electrolysis on the IH penny as well as the silver. Or what is the best way to clean the penny? Both were found in the dirt.


Thanks for the info.


Gary

 

[Mike (Virginia Beach)]

The best way to clean the penny is with a soft dry brush. Electrolysis will kill it, so don't do that. That works real well on silver, but unless it's beach silver that has turned black or it's been discolored real bad, it's better to leave that like it is...silver usually looks nice coming out of the ground anyway. As for the Indian, I wouldn't try anything that get's it wet. The ones I find around here, if you try to do anything to them it pretty much screws them up. Best to just brush off the dirt and go with what you have.

 

[newtohunting]

As always Mike, thanks for the great info. Will do exactly that.


Gary

 

[MXTerer]

The best way I have found to clean copper coins is with vasoline. Put a dab on both sides and keep rubbing the coin between the thumb and index finger. Eventually all this build up will dissolve.

 

[newtohunting]

Thanks,
great idea! Will try it on a few clad first!

 

[Rick(ND)]

Now for clad the cleaning is different and to me very easy to do. I tumble my clad with a rock tumbler with some aquarium gravel, water and a good shot of lemon juice. The pennies and clad have to be separated when tumbled and the pennies take about a hour or 2 while the clad takes longer. The pennies will look new,but some of the clad is a bit harder to do and I found a way for those, but in involves muriatic acid on the real though ones. Most will come out great with the lemon juice, but will take 3 to 5 hours to tumble.
I have a way with Wheaties that are common dates too and use a vibrating tumbler with a household cleaner.

 

[pb-to-au]

I have had SOME luck with soaking copper coins in OLIVE OIL for several weeks. Fair luck with taking the green off and leaving a decent brown patina. Depends on the state of the metal, how corroded it really is, where it came from (acid ground) etc. Can't hurt the coin though, value is pretty much gone from being in the ground anyway.You can bulk clean all your clad stuff and copper pennies over night with a 50/50 solution of Muriatic Acid (hardware store) and tap water.You MUST remove all aluminum tokens and Zinc pennies before you do this. Soak overnight, clean the next day.Gives the coins a dull finish, I spend it all anyway, but you could buy a bullet shell casing tumbler from a gun shop for large lots and they will shine up pretty good. Some day I am going to try some LOW VOLTAGE LOW MILLIAMP electrolysis in olive oil with a little lye just for fun on some old large cents.