ok...now what?...how to protect your stuff/ the custodian pt.1

[GRAY GHOST]

hello everyone, i have some info regarding protecting what has taken you a long time to acquire. when i was young, my dads huge coin collection was stolen from him and spent for plain change and bus tickets. the boys who perpetrated this crime both soon died of excesses[bad habits and one drowned.] overnight, i lost part of my legacy and birthright and was ashamed and angry. i vowed it would never happen to me. something clicked, and here it is: it starts with protecting what you have found-get it in plastic or a coin 2x2. dont overclean anything. some people want to cuddle with their finds, but not me. im just the re-dicoverer and custodian of someone elses future legacy. i got my buzz with it! put it away somewhere safe and dark-i like safes-got three of em. they work real good. light really hurts relics and coins over time. i like to put on a thin coat of olive oil on my better relics. theres only a couple of people in your life who really need to know where you keep the good stuff anyway. inventory what you have and if its big enough, have it appraised and insured. dont tell unneccessary people your business[if bees dont smell the honey, then they wont go to the hive.] invest in a good quality safe, it will pay for itself many times over. ive soaked coins and relics in olive oil for months to restore them to the best condition possible and then brass brush them. muriatic acid-believe it or not-is very useful too. anything organic is gone. electrolysis is a good tool too. its real easy to overclean and shine up all that you have, only to find that youvve destroyed half the value in a few minutes. happens all the time my friend...like i said, im just the custodian...ive had my buzz with it...the custodian of the future legacies... and now you are too! hh,

 

[scott charp]

gray ghost you are so right i wasnt even thinking about that end of it! i do have a couple of fire proof strong boxes with good hiding places for them, now about the coins , ive alwayes understood you should not try to clean them too much but how much is too much? i have a stiff nylon tooth type brush that i brush of the loose dirt with and then just plain water and then dry? thats what i do anyhow let me know what you think about it yes? god bless and good luck out there !

 

[GRAY GHOST]

hello scott, and welcome to the forum. im glad you could get some info and some good guidelines from my post. i gave up cleaning cents a long time ago, i only clean key or semi-key dates, because theyre the only ones really worth anything, and if theyre old. for copper or brass coinage, you can mix together 1 tsp. salt to about 2 or 3 oz. vinegar.pretty soon the coin will start bubbling and remove some of the concretions. it also turns clad coins pink! you can also soak coins and relics in olive oil [some people add ammonia to hurry it up] and use the old toothbrush. i normally only brass brush relics, and then coat everything lightly with olive oil. its really hard to get all of the concretion loose from a coin or relic. then you would try electrolysis. silver doesnt normally need to be cleaned, it often comes out the ground looking almost like the day they put it in. gold doesnt degrade easily either. i spend all the clad coinage i find. test yourself with some old cents-if you start to see fine scratches, then youvve gone too far. silver is the same way. just rinse off like youvve been doing, and let us know how it goes! thanks, and hh,