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CLEANING
GiveMeProof
Posts: 635 ✭✭✭✭
I know cleaning coins is a taboo, but I plan to buy a Dansco album for ATB quarters for my Grandson who I'm trying to turn into a collector. I know coins can degrade by just handling them. My question is should they be cleaned or dipped before inserting them into the album? If so, what do you recommend? A lot of knowledgeable people here. Appreciate any feedback.
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No, don't clean or dip. Part of collecting is preserving the original coin as found. Hold by the edges only. Sometimes getting them in the holes can be tough. I found that if I used a quarter I didn't want to just push into the hole and then remove and insert the one I wanted, it was easier.
Have fun and good luck!
bob
...no cleaning and no dipping needed...the only time I wear gloves to handle coins is when I plug albums, and always nitrile and not cotton, powderless to...good luck and have fun
Feel free to choose coins like ATB's to stimulate collecting interest in your grandson. Use common sense when handling them. Dips shouldn't matter.
FWIW, when I was young and going through change in my parents' purses (late 50's and early 60's) Franklins were fun. Walking Liberty's too. Mercury dimes, Buffalo nickels and older cents.
But what enchanted me were much older coins from my grandparents. A handful of IHC's, 3 cent pieces. Liberty nickels and seated dimes...worn and some abused but still very old (to me). That's what hooked me on collecting.
Maybe think about also handing down some Kennedy halves, old silver quarters, and early wheaties. Just enough to transcend his age. They don't have to be expensive or stellar. Just enough to encourage him to look deeper. Maybe that will trigger the collector in him.
Lance.
There is no harm in giving modern ATB quarters that you pull form circulation a bath in 90% rubbing alcohol to remove the fingerprints and grime of commerce before you place them in an album. Don't rub or scrub them just place the coin(s) in a small glass dish of the alcohol and swish around, if you have some very suborn grime or gunk you can take a q-tip soaked in the rubbing alcohol and roll it across the surface to loosen and remove it. Wash under running water very well and pat dry (again don't rub), this is only to be used on coins you pull out of your pocket change or from roll searching and not on any coins older than ATB quarters.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Thanks for the formula's.
I wouldn't clean or dip them ... just leave them as is. I never wore gloves.
Dipping in alcohol or acetone will not harm your coins....be sure to rinse completely in hot water and never rub them. Have fun with your Grandson....Cheers, RickO
Clean your coins with...
Some coins benefit and are even are saved from being properly dipped. Don't believe cleaning a coin is always a bad thing. Because that is utter BS.
Most ATB quarters found in circulation shouldn't need cleaning. A rinse in acetone should suffice for any quarters that are dirty or dingy. While searching rolls, a good exercise is to compare the coins you find with the ones you already have in an effort to upgrade your collection with better examples.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I like to use these
Let them be.
This topic has gotten more responses than Carter has Little Liver Pills! 🙂
I'm not gonna ask how to use them.
TO MUCH INFORMATION !
Please don’t clean coins, period.
Dave
Thank you all for your responses. I would never clean any coin of value, was just wondering about pocket change. I see opinions do still differ. Again, thank you.
Not all cleaning is bad. For example, taking active PVC contamination off a coin using acetone is not only permissible but it's encouraged to preserve the coin.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Don’t clean them yourself, have this guy do it for you
I tried cleaning some pennies once.. Used orange juice , ketchup and also tried silver cleaner.. The pennies turned pinkish. Definately junked them out. An ultrasonic cleaner using distilled water might loosen the crud. Never tried that.
Soak it in acetone for a few days and see if it comes off.
Collector, occasional seller