Cleaning Lincoln cents

NBSQLGeek

I have some lincoln cents in my cardboard album and want to clean them. The coins are not super just plain ol circ pennies.

What is the best way to clean them to get them shiny again?

LanLord

Don't clean copper. Don't clean any coin, but if you were going to clean one, don't use copper, you won't like the results.

NBSQLGeek

These are crap coins, they are worthless, i want to clean these someone tell me how to clean them.

coppercoins

"Clean" is not a good term to use with numismatists. It involves the use of abrasives or chemicals to "move" or "remove" metal from a coin to reveal the shiny metal underneath....it is detectable 99.9% of the time, and 100% of the time when done by novices, and it almost always completely ruins the value of what was otherwise a decent coin.

There are, however, ways of properly "curating" a copper coin without ruining it while at the same time improving its appearance. This can be done with careful application of certain inert solutions, however should always be done sparingly. The problem is, it depends on what's wrong with the coin (why it needs treatment) as to waht you should use (and how). It's not "simple as that". There are a lot of factors to consider.

I can tell you now that copper cleaning paste, brasso, baking soda, vinegar, copper dipping chemicals such as Tar-Nex - will ALWAYS leave your coins looking horrible, not better....so don't even consider them. The only safe solutions are pure mineral oil, pure acetone, and in some cases Blue Ribbon (brand name) or Zylol (brand name). Water, soap, scrubbing, acids, etc. are all out. Olive oil is a bad solution too.

So...some of the safe ones, some of the not-safe ones, and MUCH care must be implemented in even using the safe ones. If you insist on doing some experimenting, though, I would recommend you pull pre-1982 cents out of your change and start testing...at least you won't be ruining anything with the potential of having much value.

Cam40

anything you use to clean them with,except maybe acetone,will show as a cleaned copper coin.
Its no good to do this since it only lowers the grade and value.

NBSQLGeek

Geez you would think I run into a baptist church and screamed God is a woman and Hitler is the mesiah.

Note to self: never speak of cleanimg around you people ever again.

How to give a coin collector a heart attack?

Tell them you want to clean coin with a rock tumbler.

NBSQLGeek

Ok how many tiems do I have to say these coins are worthless and are crap coins?

Did I say anything about these being toned morgans and I wanted to get rid of the toning?

HAHAHAH

coppercoins

Anyone who cares about coins at all wants to preserve what's there, not create more crap junk that someone down the road will surely think is actually worth something because it's shiny. If you want to polish the coins go ahead...there's no law...but it wouldn't be a good idea asking for advice on how to ruin coins from anyone who DOES care about coins.

Your "crap" coins could make a YN really happy, unless they're cleaned junk. There's already enough worn smooth white-silver acid eaten crap out there, what makes you think anyone here is going to encourage you to make more of it?

You could also have something there that IS rare and IS valuable...from the level you speak from it doesn't seem much like you would have considered the possibility of die varieties.

edited to say: My final post in this thread...I have nothing left to say to someone who wants to ruin coins because THEY think the coins are already worthless. Well, Einstein, after they're cleaned they are worth even less!

wayneme

try ketchup not sure about copper but works ok for cleaning gold rings

NBSQLGeek

Kecthup? This is the first hearing of this. What in ketchup would cause the cleaning reaction?

Edited: Man I have to hold back on you coppercoins cause im a nice guy.

nwcs

The acid in ketchup does the dirty work. And it requires rubbing, so you'll get lots of hairlines. And it'll do a fair job. Think of it as a really lousy brasso. Ketchup (or catsup for hunts people) is not a great way to clean any metal. I, too, though don't recommend this.

Bulldog

I think if I clean anything, it will be my motorcycles, and I aint telling any of you when I do it.....Don't want to get flamed....LOL


Great advice all (cept for the catsup thingy)...LOL

Bulldog

NBSQLGeek

Oh god No dont clean it! Might as well go sell it for scrap now.

Im seriously loosing sleep over this Bulldog.

Ah who am I kidding.



Time for bed. See ya tomorrow.

IndianHeadMan

I have dipped some dug wheaties before and they seemed to come out better. I can see more detail now. One even came out brown. The other had somewhat of an orange tint to them, but far better than the dug state. But if I had just a plain brown wheatie with no problems or crud stuck on it, I wouldn't do anything to it.

dorkkarl

swab on olive oil to remove the gunk that whitman folders can sometimes cause. will also leave the patina looking nice & original, attractive luster.

if you care nothing about the coins & just want shiny, brasso the he11 out of em.

K S

EVillageProwler

Mr. Simms,

I don't think you need to react so harshly to the responses to your question.

First, the current generation of collectors have been raised to think that, in general, cleaning of coins is taboo. There are ways of cleaning coins, but copper is pretty hard to do properly.

Second, the respondents generally tried to help you out sincerely. They tried to save you from what they honestly felt would have been a mistake.

Obviously, you did not find the responses helpful. But, if you're going to show contempt and disdain for those who give you sincere advice, then you can easily find yourself the recipient of less advice in the future. And, it may involve matters far greater than just a bunch of junk cents...

EVP

NBSQLGeek

Pfft

bohica268

Any of the copper cleaning dips on the market will "clean" your coins. Try your local K-Mart or grocery store. HERE

KlectorKid

If u dont really care about the coins.. u may be intrested in giving them to a YN, or an organization such as boy-scouts. The children/child that recieves your gift will be forever thankfull, do not ruin your coins for no reason... even if u think they are crapy a YN may think they are great.

NBSQLGeek

Thank you to all that have answered my question.

bohica268

You are welcome. Have you considered collecting world coins? On the "darkside" we even touch our coins.

NBSQLGeek

I think thats why they call it the darkside. HEHEH

DMWJR

Shoo-wee . . . what's that smell in here? Could it be the nostril dialating odiferous overtures of a small troll?

NBSQLGeek

Small?

StillLurking

That would be me! Why not just answer NBSQL's question and skip all the "don't ever clean any coin ever" BS?

NBSQLGeek

LOL, Amen!

KlectorKid

Put a freaking wire wheel on a drill and whizz the hell outta it!

DMWJR

brasso, asso

NBSQLGeek

Ok Im done with this thread.

I really got to learn about people ont his board.

Suprised no one said anything about sand paper

StillLurking

" I really got to learn about people on his board. "

I also post as bohica268. Bob Kruczynski / StillLurking / bohica268

moosesr

Carry them around in your pants pocket with your other change for a few days and it will help lighten/brighten them up some without looking too much like they have been harshly cleaned.

1jester

Coppercoins, why is olive oil not a good solution? I've had a lot of good results with extra virgin olive oil. In what way is it bad/harmful? I haven't tried pure mineral oil yet. Where do you buy it? Honestly, I don't know where to look for it---is it in the food section of the grocery store, or in the lubricants of a hardware store?

Thanks for the advice.

SarasotaFrank

I seem to recall their being someone commenting a while ago that WD-40 had a positive affect on copper coins, or were they just being clever?

coppercoins

<< <i>Coppercoins, why is olive oil not a good solution? >>



To be quite honest, that information came from someone else quite some time ago, so I have no first hand experience with it. Their reasoning behind not using any vegetable based oil is because it can rot and corrode the coin, and could change its color not for the better.

Mineral oil is easily available in any drug store, people drink it to stay "regular". Walgreens, Rite Aid, Wal Mart, etc...it's very common, and is not vegetable based, thus will not rot, mold, mildew, or whatever, and is supposed to be competely inert and safe for coins.

1jester

Thanks for the info, Coppercoins! I wonder if olive oil will rot if the oil has been removed, or dried off completely, or baked (for example).