How to clean coins?

carl

Over the years there has been so many questions and answers on how to clean coins that last weekend I thought I'd have some fun cleaning coins. I took some discolored, dirty, stained, chipped coins out to the garage for cleaning if possible. There were 3 quarters, 3 nickels, 3 dimes and 5 pennies. Various dates from 1972 to 2002.
First was an Acetone rinse, then laquer thinner added, then 10/30 motor oil added to that. A mineral spirit rinse, 2 rinses with denatured alcolhol, sprayed with window cleaner and then ammonia sprayed. Rinsed with baking soda and water. then soaked in Verifine Pinapple/Orange drink and Fantastic spray added later. Washed with household laundry soap and water.
The results were 2 quarters, 3 nickels, 2 dimes looked cleaner.
1 quarter, 1 dime and all pennies basically looked the same.
My hands on the other side of the story came out very poor.
Conclusion, as usualy, don't clean coins and save your hands.

lathmach

Carl, Carl , Carl...................
Never ever do that.
The proper way to clean coins is to rent a cement mixer, put in a 40 pound bag of gravel mix, your coins and 5 gallons of water.
Then run the mixer for 3 hours.
When you're done, you'll have nice shiney coins ready to go to PCGS.

Ray

midwestcoin13

Actually you take a bbgun and shoot them.

F117ASR

Or sand them down with a power sander!

clackamas

LOL

nwcs

Or send them to the mint and ask for new ones.

fcloud

Sometimes you can chisel the dirt off.

ajia

Actually, you drop them in a bath of soda for a few days....then you tell your kids, "THAT'S WHAT SODA DOES TO YOUR TEETH!"!

BAJJERFAN

I drill a hole in em and then string em up on one o them thar fish stringers that open and close like a safety pin. I hook the fish stringer to my car bumper and drag em around for a few days. If they are extra dirty I drive on gravel roads fer a few hours.

ldhair

No man, you got it all wrong.
You started it right with the acetone but the window cleaner comes next.
I usually do a vodka bath at the end, just to be safe.

nwcs

Of course, I still remember the guy who took his coins into the bath with him.

COINDOG

<< <i>No man, you got it all wrong.
You started it right with the acetone but the window cleaner comes next.
I usually do a vodka bath at the end, just to be safe. >>


I usually spend the coins on vodka, and don't have to worry about cleaning the coins !!
The only problem this causes is that I have to hunt for days to find my car !!!

oldcameoproofsguy

A 50:50 jewel luster and distilled water solution followed by several alcohol dips then using a compressed air source to blow off the final rinse usually works. I always used to get some milk spots that would develope after a period of time using this method.

Russ is the dip master... ask him.

oldcameoproofsguy

Oh yeah, if you want to ruin a copper coin, clean it. Copper never cleans well. A copper coin with a lot of junk on it can have some of the junk loosened with mineral oil, but that is as far as I would ever go.

MAD4MORGANS

I found warming them up a little helps!!

carl

Really glad for all the answers. I now see my error. It was the omission of the Vodka. The cement mixer is too expensive. Dragging behind a car may be a traffic violation. So I'm going to go back to the garage with the Vodka bottle and all the coins again. Since it wasn't clear as to how to apply the Vodka I'll sample it first then the coins may all look brand new without any cleaning. I also missed out on a little Vermouth to go with the Vodka. That should really help. Strange no one mentioned auto battery acid.

bgrice

<< <i>I found warming them up a little helps!!

>>



I think this should be in the *toning* section.

Myqqy

I've always found it helpful to urinate on coins that need a good cleanin'........

kenoshapete

No, no, no................ Get the bottle of Vodka and the bottle of Vermouth and prepare a mixture of those two together with an olive. Shake it, don't stir. Both must be chilled. Then go to the washing machine, dump in your coins with lots of extra soap to make sure the coins get REAL clean and put them on a heavy wash. Put rocks in the washing machine too, to help get off the really hard to get dirt. Drink the earlier mixed concotion quickly while the coins repeat their bath, and repeat. -- Do this all while your wife is out of the house.

In the end, you wont feel too bad about what you've done to your coins or the washing machine.......... until your wife comes home and you wake up the next morning with a BIG headache.

MAD4MORGANS

<< <i>First was an Acetone rinse, then laquer thinner added, then 10/30 motor oil added to that. A mineral spirit rinse, 2 rinses with denatured alcolhol, sprayed with window cleaner and then ammonia sprayed. Rinsed with baking soda and water. then soaked in Verifine Pinapple/Orange drink and Fantastic spray added later. Washed with household laundry soap and water. >>

Although I hate to break in and put something serious on this thread, I feel compelled to mention mixing household chemicals may result in DEADLY consequences.

Below is a quick link to some of the common household chemicals where misuse could keep you from waking up on the green side.

DEADLY HOUSHOLD CHEMICAL USE

blueifalcon

Man, I am learning so much from you guys. I have a lot of coins I been wanting to clean. Thanks...

BigGreek

There is only one way to clean coins:

Tang! a 1% solution of Tang with distilled water will
remove just about anything from anything.

But seriously, I recently bought a few crusty ancients.
Do you know the recommended way of cleaning these?
Soak in olive oil and apply tooth brush every few months.

wjd283

I never was a big fan of cleaning/dipping until I saw smoe of Russ's and LordM's work.
In the case of a hazed over proof,if you can remove the haze with no damage to the proof,you can make smoe profit.
Anyone thats ever dug up a coin thats been buried for 50+ yrs knows you have to clean it.There are right ways and wrong ways.
If you google "cleaned coins"there is a lot of info.