Coin cleaning, How to? Options

[10pence]

Hi, great forum and very useful.
I want to clean some decimal coppers, 1/2p, 1p and 2p coins, I guess they will never be bright and shiny like a new coin but is there a particular product or any household fluids that you can recommend?
Come to think any info on cleaning silver decimal coins also would be greatly appreciated or is there a thread on the forum with help for cleaning coins.
many thanks
Jim

[1949threepence]

Coin cleaning is an art, and really one best avoided for the sake of your coins. It is very easy to make a mess of coin cleaning, as I once found out to my cost.

Apart from surface grime, which can be removed via a damp cloth, any deeper cleaning can be injurious to your coins. Especially to be avoided (at all costs) is polishing.

It's often better to have a slightly dirty coin, than a ruined one.

[DaveG38]

Coin cleaning is an art, and really one best avoided for the sake of your coins. It is very easy to make a mess of coin cleaning, as I once found out to my cost.

Apart from surface grime, which can be removed via a damp cloth, any deeper cleaning can be injurious to your coins. Especially to be avoided (at all costs) is polishing.

It's often better to have a slightly dirty coin, than a ruined one.

Whilst I agree entirely with the general principle of not cleaning coins, for fear of doing irreparable damage to them, I guess it really doesn't matter too much with decimal bronze. After all none has anything much other than their face value, so a bit of cleaning probably won't do too much harm.

I don't have any particular product that I would recommend. However, for cleaning brass/copper in general Hydrochloric acid is extremely effective, but real care is needed to handle it. A 10% solution in water works well at removing surface tarnish - its VERY important that you add the acid to the water and not the other way round. You also need to make sure that you don't breathe in the fumes for the concentrated acid as this is dangerous to your lungs. It's also important not to get it on your skin, or you won't have any!!! Hydrochloric Acid is available commercially as 'Spirits of Salt' from ironmongers. I use it for cleaning brass at home e.g. door furniture, prior to polishing.

If all this puts you off then there is an ad on TV for Cillit Bang, which shows a decimal penny being dipped in the product and coming out brightly cleaned. I've never tried it, so I can't say how accurate the ad is, but might be worth trying.

[Peckris]

For cupro-nickel (modern "silver") there really isn't anything to be recommended.

For coins with real silver, warm water and soap flakes, rubbed GENTLY to remove dirt and dabbed dry on a clean towel.

For copper and bronze - water resistant - washing won't do. I'd personally not try any of the solutions that have been mentioned - there was / is a dealer in the Midlands who uses something to treat EF coins and sell them "as if" BU. I can spot artificially lustred coins a mile off.

If you want to remove dirt or film from bronze, you could try surgical spirit and gentle wiping. Remove it with one of those microo-fibre cloths you get from the opticians (what won't scratch glass won't scratch coins!).

Verdigris sometimes comes off in vinegar, which WILL also make the coin go a lot paler. Your risk!

[The Rev]

The only advice I ever was given about cleaning coins was this: beyond carefully brushing off surface dirt, don't.

Of course, with modern coppers, since they haven't any collectible value yet, you can afford to experiment. I've used (US) cents to make copper acetate for chemical plating--even the copper-washed zinc coins have enough copper for that--and was also able to see how a patina forms on them afterwards.

Obviously, that's strictly for pocket change, not for anything remotely collectible. I don't know of a reliable chemical method for cleaning coppers that won't leave a residue or change the color or otherwise alter the coin past merely cleaning it.

[Peckris]

The only advice I ever was given about cleaning coins was this: beyond carefully brushing off surface dirt, don't.

That's safe advice to give to beginners. With practice (and sadly too often, experience!) there are things that can be done, with care.

I don't know of a reliable chemical method for cleaning coppers that won't leave a residue or change the color or otherwise alter the coin past merely cleaning it.

I find that's the advantage of surgical spirit - it leaves no residue and is about the only thing I've ever found that can deal with dirt on copper and bronze (and that's all - it won't tackle staining or verdigris or carbon spots or any of the other ills). It's what you apply it with that needs some care. I'd have two micro-fibre cloths, one to put it on and the other to take it off.

[10pence]

I have tried a few things on 2 pence coins and pretty much confirmed everything above, they might be clean but the colour changes or the details have a shadow where the brush or cloth cant clean, in the end the naturally discoloured coins look nicer than the cleaned ones.

I suppose the only answer is to keep new coins in air tight packing or capsules.

Thank you very much for the advice, I have lots more reading to do on this site.

Jim

[Peckris]

I have tried a few things on 2 pence coins and pretty much confirmed everything above, they might be clean but the colour changes or the details have a shadow where the brush or cloth cant clean

Yes - that's a good point : even surgical spirit won't of itself remove dirt from in the legend, so something like a really soft brush is also required for that purpose. Or, as you say, don't clean.