Cleaning crud off coins...

I don't want to know about cleaning in general, as I simply wouldn't do it under normal circumstances, but in this case, I am more curious about the find than the value... Here is the deal -- I picked up a collection this week that included several cups of nickels, wheats, ih's, and mercury dimes... Some of the wheats were steelies and are now rusties along with everything else in the cups... So far, from the cups have come several semi-key wheats, and a 1916-d mercury... I think there is a 1921 also, but I can't make it out without cleaning these things up... There are probably 40 or so wartime nickels that were xf to au when they went in the cup, but the whole cup looks like it spent some time submerged under water... My question is, is there any way to just dip the whole lot in something that would work on the rust, grime, and general goo that is on these coins?.. I don't care if they look cleaned, but obviously I don't want to use something that will physically destroy the coins, and my ability to tell what they all are with it...

Regards

 

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I have been soaking pennies in olive oil for three or four days and then gently wash them with hand soap. If the gunk remains, and the coin isn't really valuable, I'll go at it with a soft toothbrush. Of course even this is probably forbidden by "them."

 

100% Acetone from the hardware store seems to be the best way to go and is the only chemical I know of that you can (A) soak a coin in with no reaction to the metal and (B) doesn't count as cleaning. Hope this helps. Acetone Questions Here is a thread I started on using Acetone.

 

if you got a 16-D mercury, please don't try and clean it! definitely don't if you have never cleaned a coin before!

i am sure you know, but those are worth big $$$.

could you post some pictures of it please?? i love looking at different ones..

 

If it is just water soluble dirt, then distilled water. If it is a oily grime, then acetone. If it is discoloration or a raised "crust" then the only way to remove it is going to be with more "aggressive" chemicals and/or mechanical means and there WiLL be at least some damage done to the coins.

 

Hardware grade Acetone works well as an added bonus after dipping it
Try some lemon juice, Avoid heavy brushing especially on a valuable
Coin

 

When starting any conservation project always follow the chemical polarity ladder:

1) water
2) acetone
3) xylene

 

There are many chemicals that will not harm the coin. As long as the coin is not over-exposed to it, deionized water is the safest solvent you can use. I really like xylene for conservation projects. It works very well on organic residues. It is especially good on copper.

 

What is best for gunk around lettering from a previous cleaning (on Copper)?

Will acetone remove this?

Lack

 

As I stated, ALWAYS follow the solvent polarity ladder before trying anything else. If that fails, VERDI-CARE™ might work depending on what the residue is and how thick it is. A lot of times the "darkness" around the lettering on a cleaned coin is a permanent stain and is irremovable without resorting to harsh acids. Some pictures of the coin in question would be helpful.

 

pictures of 1916-d mercury... as requested...

Here ya go... I haven't done anything to it yet, but what do you guys think of cleaning it now?






Best I can do with such a small coin, but will scan them later when I get to the office scanner...

 

Agreed. That poor coin, it's already been ruined IMO.

 

yeah, like I said... real shame that the guy sat them in a jar inside a toolbox for decades... mixed with steelies, and other stuff... poor, poor, coin...

 

I use Naval Jelly on rusty steel cents. Its a rust remover and gives the steelies the appearence of a reprocessed steel cent. It may help your dime too, but I don't know now...

 

You can try electrolysis. Used distilled water mixed with a little pure lemon juice. Hook up a battery charger to a stainless steel anode on the positive side put the coin on the negative side. Don't let the two touch each other. Use a clear glass for the liquid container, large enough to keep the coin and anode seperated. You will want to try it on a known coin of little value first.

 

Here we go again with Amateur time in coin cleaning 101.
NO do not use electrolysis, Naval Jelly, toothbrushes, Olive Oils, lighter fluids, Lemon Juice, battery acid, atomic neclear fission, etc. And not just on the 16D but on any coins. You'll always read from people that claim to have had fantastic results with those substances. In most instances those are from someone that read that somewhere and are just repeating it to make themselves appear to be coin cleaning experts.
As noted, stick with items like Distilled water and Actone. And prior to those use the Search tab on this forum to look up Acetone for all the cautions, uses, tests, rinses. Be safe, not sorry.

 

Thanks... These coins had to be cleaned... As they were, they were worthless anyway, so it is well worth dipping them, and I am using acetone which is working quite well... I always have plenty on hand, being that I use it in my trade every day...


B

 

Have you ever used naval jelly on rusted steel cents? If not give it a whirl it does no damage to an already damaged coin...

 

These are already coins with little value. I didn't just read it somewhere, I have done it and it works. Coins dug out of soil don't always come clean with tap water or solvents and any other method will leave it as a cleaned coin for grading. The 1916 D dime should be cleaned by an expert due to its value, but it will still be a cleaned coin, unless he is lucky enough to have them come clean by soaking in water. Electrolysis is just a method to use when nothing else works.