Coin cleaning opinions wanted

[JJ]

My hunting buddy and I kicked around the proverbial question today whether to clean or not to clean, how much, and when. We came to the agreement that a dug coin is a dug coin, is a dug coin.... And a cleaned coin is a cleaned coin, is a cleaned coin.. and a grading company would easily be able to point out either condition if one choose to submit a nicer dug or cleaned coin for grading. I think most would agree that loose topsoil must be removed from all surfaces of any coin before it can be safely stored and even the lightest cleaning will result in some sort of damage or evidence of cleaning, yet it must be done. Luckily, I rarely dig a coin worth attempting to slab. So in your opinion, which is the lesser evil: a dug coin or a cleaned coin? I refuse to put coins away dirty, I like to know what I have, occasionally view them, yet I don't enjoy brand new looking vintage coins. So where is your happy median? All opinions are welcome and respected. Thanks, JJ

 

[Dancin' Dave]

The vast majority of coins that I find have little or no numismatic value so I'm not too concerned about degrading them by cleaning. My goal is to remove as much dirt and corrosion as possible and still leave the coin with a natural look. For silver, I simply wash them in water and give them a very light rubbing with a wet Q-tip to remove any surface dirt. I resort to using electrolysis for silver that is badly tarnished or oxidized. Rubbing these coins with toothpaste will also work but it results in a polished surface (with a fresh minty smell).

For copper or bronze coins, I rinse them with clean water and soak them in peroxide for a few hours. After the soak, I scrub them with a light toothbrush and water. This works well for many coins but can darken the patina. If I'm not happy with the result, I will soak the coin in olive oil for a few days and then lightly scrape off any remaining dirt or corrosion with a toothpick. As a last resort, you can boil the coin in olive oil with a torch for several minutes (done outside because of the smoke). This will loosen any hard encrustation but also destroys the patina (and perhaps the coin).

For nickels ... Most of the ones I find are corroded so a water rinse seldom does more than remove the surface dirt. Some folks will soak them in a mild acid such as lemon juice, vinegar, or even ketchup. I haven't had much luck with this (leaves the coins with a rusty/pink color) so I'll rub them with soap and a very fine grade of steel wool.

All this being said, any coin that has significant collector value should be professionally cleaned and restored or simply left in the condition "as found". I would not apply any of the methods above except a light rinse with clean/distilled water.

Hope this helps,
DD

 

[MikeO]

JJ, i like to simply wash silver with soapy water and towel dab dry.
On coppers if the have some really stubborn crust on them I will drop them in some boiling hydrogen peroxide for a tad to remove then wash with soap and water then dab dry with a towel.
Thats about as far as I go then they all get put into holders etc.
Some go as far as soaking in olive oil but, thats actually acidic and should really imho be only an option for the extremely crustiest coppers.
Like you said a dug coin is easily identifiable if graded and so is a cleaned coin so, to keep it simple without risk of detrimental damage I refrain from anything aggressive if at all possible and use the methods I mentioned.

 

[JJ]

Great info Mike and DD. I know this is a dead horse that has been beaten more than once but I think it's still good to keep it fresh on the brain. Thanks for the great responses. The torch on olive oil is new to me but I will be kept in my bag of tricks for extreme cases. Mike, I generally stick with your methods mentioned. Sometimes I come across a silver coin that has faced a century of chemicals and fertilizer and has developed a burnt surface. For these, I like to tightly wrap the coin in foil and boil in a solution of water, salt, and lemon juice. Thanks again for the responses fellas. JJ

 

[utahshovelhead]

Ill throw one at ya.
In some cases the coins are absolutely gunked up. I found a dime and could tell it was a seated dime by just one area. I don't find many of those being from the west so I was thrilled to find it but it was meaningless as you could not tell what it was or what date it was so I cleaned it. it took some pretty good scrubbing to remove the orange crust that was on it but when I was done I had a great looking coin, readable date that made friends jealous. It was well worth cleaning as it was never going to be anything but a silver dime until it was cleaned.
I doubt that even 60 % of the old coins we all dig are even collectable, given that, is it rare or collectable? Are you out for the money or do you enjoy showing your finds? I know some folks say NEVER CLEAN a coin, I say it all depends on rarity and value. I bet most of us have a lot of silver that will only be worth the price of silver melt.

 

[MR_SG]

For silver coins, I will rinse them in water to remove any grit and then pat them dry. After that I will soak them in peroxide if they have any buildup that needs to be removed. I will use a tooth pick soaked in peroxide to help remove buildup. You have to watch how long you leave the coin in the peroxide as it will turn the coin grey. There is not much you can do with the nickel and copper coins to help save them, silver holds up much better in the soil than they do. I have cleaned silver coins in this manner and you can't even tell, you just have to be really care full. I also use some stuff called MS70, just wipe it on with a q-tip and work it in, then rinse it off and pat dry. I would experiment with less valuable coins before attempting any work on a valuable one.

 

[Great Republic]

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DQbttBUi8c[/video]

Here is an interesting vid. Also this guy has found some great stuff!