Your favorite method of cleaning coins?

dan1ecu

I think we've all probably cleaned coins as kids, right?

I personally liked using toothpaste. It seemed to bring the shine out in copper coins, particularly. I've never messed with a proof coin - something just told me that it would be "wrong" to do so.

Did you use any creative or unusual methods of cleaning coins back when you were less experienced?

Dan

BigGreek

CoinResource

Very FUNNY (post above!)

FatMan

Regular Wash Cycle with 2 cups of Tide - Spin Dry.

bearcave

Sometimes you have to knock the dirt off!

CoinOnTheCob

BigGeek, you stole the idea right out of my head. I was going to offer this to the thread; you have to wear gloves but, an SOS pad and muriatic acid. They will come out CLEAN.
Good idea with the hammer. Someone with a metal detector told me about coin shooting ... sounds like it will knock the dirt off.

Murphy

I went to the flea market last week-end to look at the Franklin halves and this young guy behind the counter had this grungy blue cleaning cloth in his hands and he was going to town, cleaning this one JFK Half Dollar. I said, I hope that's not a proof. He said well, How do you clean your coins? I said, Not like that! He commenced to tell me how safe it is. I said let me see that coin in the case marked 1979-S type two proof JFK. I looked at it closely under a loupe and just as I figured - a type-1. I began to talk to him a little more after that. We compared notes on types 1 & 2 proofs and how to keep from scratching the heck outta good coins. I went away feeling like I had met the enemy on his turf and had won.
But if ya want to clean a coin, get a puppy with no teeth and pour honey on your coin, then let the puppy have it. He'll give it back to you cleaner than it's ever been. That is, if he don't swallow it!

paigowjohnny

razorface1027

Did you use any creative or unusual methods of cleaning coins back when you were less experienced

...Nothing's really changed from the experiential aspect. I'm a slooooooooooow learner. My choice of cleaning/shining agents was mercury, a rock of gold rouge & a buffing wheel. Thanks to my uncle, for giving me these coin cleaning tips; I destroyed many coins, which today would've been worth big bucks.

BAJJERFAN

I throw em in my tumbler along with the .357 Mag cases.

DNADave

Some "test" items I've used, some were more of a failure than others.

Hydrochloric Acid
Nitric Acid
Glacial Acetic Acid
Chloroform
Reagent Grade Acetone
Methanol
Ethanol
Xylenes
Gasoline
Kerosine
Mineral oil
Ether

The best method by far is to just leave it alone.

mozeppa

sand blasting.....its quicker!

fcloud

I like the "turn on a dime" method. Place in street, take your car out, and turn on a time!

Now, really, when I was young and stupid, I ruined some coins. When I was about 12 years old, I used copper cleaner on Lincoln cents and silver polish on silver coins. Thank goodness I was not allowed to buy coins--I could only collect from circulation. Today, if something really must be conserved, I think I would leave it to the pros.

rb7557

<< <i>sand blasting.....its quicker!

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Yeah! I don't want to waste a lot of time and make my arthritic hands hurt more from the workout of polishing!