dipping copper coins??

gcoin · January 10, 2004 11:00AM

I have a question to any penny collector. What is the proper way to dip a copper penny and still retain its original look? Without it turning pink or any other odd color ect.

Cam40 · January 10, 2004 11:17AM

use acetone

or, and it may not be recomended by all numismatistists, but a product called Goo Gone
seems to clean copper cents without turning them odd colors.

Pushkin · January 10, 2004 11:27AM

<< <i>What is the proper way to dip a copper penny and still retain its original look? >>

Very, very carefully, and only if you know exactly what you are doing - I know many here will disagree with me, but I have seen acetone give copper an unnatural look - not often, but I've seen it happen. Think twice, no three times, before dipping any quality copper coin - once the damage is done, it cannot be undone - well at least not for 50 to 100 years if you are only playing around with brown copper; red copper, never. Why do you think even NCS only shows one copper coin in its gallery of "conserved coins" out of almost fifty coins - one copper Lincoln cent?

Where's the copper?

nwcs · January 10, 2004 1:03PM

For the most part, copper is rarely improved by doing anything to it. BU copper seems to hold up to acetone, but as pushkin said, it occassionally has been known to cause discoloration. Acidic dips are always bad. Goo gone seems to help some on BN copper.

oreville · January 10, 2004 1:20PM

mineral oil works best. In fact red copper coins of mine have been stored in mineral oil since 1969. It works. It brings back the original machine oils used in the lubrication of the die parts.

The mineral oil is inert and does not alter the surface of the copper coins. It can however absorb some of the lighter layers of oxidation (pre toning) and in effect diable them.

I have been successful 100% of the time in getting mineral oil soaked copper graded by PCGS.