cleaning wheat pennies ?

[andrew9091]

Ive read its a good idea to not try to clean them ? Ive used coin cleaner in the past and baking soda....anyone have a good technique to clean wheaties or is it best to not touch them ?
Thanks

 

[Oak]

n/t

 

[16penny]

I'm not being a smart a$$ but how does one know if it is valueable without cleaning it enough to see the date or even the type of coin it is. So far most of my finds are modern day clad so I wash and tumble that. The 3 wheaties I have found I just rainse off with a little soap and water so I can see a date. Is that wrong to Do?

 

[Muddyshoes]

Soap and warm water with a soft bristled tooth brush should be fine to see the date. You can let the pennies soak to soften the dirt first.

Collectors generally prefer for items to have their original signs of age or "patinas" depending upon the item. Most collectors don't like coins to be cleaned because by and large the majority of people cause more damage and wear and tear to a coin than they help by cleaning it. Cleaning is an art.

There are some great threads here of people who professionally clean coins and I'm primarily talking about old medieval or roman coins and coins crusted from having been in the ocean or clogged by some other chemical/mineral process. It really is an art form.

Just consider that cleaning involves an abrasive process, even with just a tooth brush and soapy water, and also that the large majority of wheat pennies aren't really worth anymore than a penny.

 

[Oak]

n/t

 

[joekool]

I found 3 Wheaties yesterday and cleaned all in vinegar and salt, However there wasn't any 1943 or double dies in the lot lol

 

[dahut]

Heres the problem, even valued coins are worth significantly less when in the dug state. This is a lie we tell ourselves, this notion that we've dug up a "really valuable" old coin.
It has much to do with how we, as individuals, reckon value. But nothing has value until someone pays you for it. The eye-popping prices in coin books are largely arbitrary; they are centered around un-blemished condition in the main.

Keep in mind that one cent coins are not worth too much to start with... well, one cent to be precise. Oh, I know, there are a few that have value far in excess of their face amount - in the "red," MS grades, that is. Even in the higher below mint grades, they can be worth a lot more than a cent.
In the dug state, however, most of that value is taken away and they become something more of an oddity than a valued collectors piece.

Since 1982, certainly any copper alloy one-cent coin is worth more than it's face value. It has beaten the odds by a long margin.
8-12 zinc cents will also offset the inflation on a U.S. dollar**. Of course, if a collector will pay you $5 or $10 for a key date dug cent, then it is indeed something special.
** Which is kinda sad, when you think about it...

So Get to know them. Check the books for rarity and collectible status. Get in the habit of doing this with all coins you find... you might find one that is worth more than a few bucks. It happens.

But don't get too caught up in the supposed "value" of a dug cent.

As for cleaning, consider electrolysis and the power of a lightly applied pencil eraser.

PS The U.S. Mint's official name for a penny is "cent" [one one hundredth, from the French "centime"] and the U.S. Treasury's official name is "one cent piece".
The colloquial term "penny" derives from the British coin of the same name; however, the British plural form pence is never used.

 

[NM5K]

>As for cleaning, consider electrolysis and the power of a lightly applied pencil eraser.

I would avoid electrolysis for cleaning most all coins. It buggers them up pretty
good. I've tried that on some old pennies, and at first they sometimes look pretty
good. But after they sit awhile they take on a real dark unnatural color.
So I would avoid zapping them. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that with
any semi valuable coin, it's better to really do nothing much at all.
Just a good soap and water cleaning with a toothbrush is about all I'd do to one
after trying a few of the usual cleaning methods.
After trying electrolysis on quite a few various coins, I've come to the conclusion
that it's probably about the worst thing that you can do to one. And yep, I even
tried using "like" metals to see if that would work better. IE: I'd use a penny as
the sacrificial metal when zapping another penny. It didn't help much, and they
still turned dark and ugly after they sat for a while.
So I gotta agree with Muddy and Oak on this one. Any coin that might be valuable,
I wouldn't do much beyond soap and water. Just enough to get the dirt off.

 

[dahut]

Too much of anything is bad - there is a definite limit for electrolysis. I've tried it 'til it ate some things clean away, just to see how far it goes. It never makes anything like new... it is not a magic bullet.

Copper coins inevitably turn crappy from their years in the soil. You cannot undo that, no matter what you do.
I like electrolysis in light doses, because it loosens up some of the crud. A little darkening wouldn't hurt them much more, if we're to be frank.
A few swipes with a pencil eraser brings out some of the detail. Beyond that, there isn't much else.

I've found some key date cents over the years. But the time in the ground was no friend to them.
In the end, there was little I could do to improve them so someone might pay big bucks for them. They were just key date coins, relegated to 'as dug' condition.
About all they were really good for was bragging rights.

I guess that is worth something.

 

[flash5153]

I've said this before and saying it again. For wheats, and many other items. I use a small fine bristled brass brush. It looks like a tooth brush and can be found at almost any hardware store.
First thing to do is to find the date of the coin,,look it up and see if it a rare coin. If it is rare and your not comfortable with a brass brush,,then stop. But trust me ,,your not going to hurt it,,at least not any more than being buried has done. For me when it comes to wheats,, I don't even worry about the date anymore. This method cleans a wheat very well without hurting it.

Some wheats and other coppers come out of the ground green and dry,,some just dry and almost brittle,,with a layer of patina on them that is terrible. A brass brush on these types will remove that layer and everything with it. Don't use on these types. There is NO helping them,,usually you can see some details,,any type of cleaning ,other than soap,,just makes it worse.IMO (I find just oiling them is it,,,wd-40)

If you try this ,,I'm betting you will never clean them any other way. BTW,,,when you are scrubbing with this brass brush,,your only taking the dirt and some of the crustys (on some wheats). Don't try to take the darker color from them. It can be done if you scrub really hard and for a long time,,,it will ruin the coin.