I have a three loose sterling silver coins (1978 Coronation Jubilees) that I bought early last year, the seller sold them to me for bullion value since they had "some minor imperfections". While trying to do some research on them recently for potential trades, I discovered that they're part of a 5 coin set (who knows what happened to the other 2 for this set) but most importantly they're also proof coins. Looking at them now you wouldn't have guessed it. Now I'm under the impression that you really shouldn't clean coins, and never if they have numi value but in a circumstance like this where they're pretty much just bullion value, could it really hurt to clean them up? What are people's thoughts when I comes to cleaning silver?
There are special solutions made for cleaning coins that won't damage them. Usually you can find it at a shop or meet, and it's cheap. If you aren't going to have the coins graded, then you may as well make them look their best in a safe manner.
A toothbrush????? really??? ---wouldnt that leave a lot of brush marks? I would just use jewellery wipes myself
Drutter's videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp62AvR7kFM http://www.youtube.com/user/drutter#p/search/1/remHvZ_qyGM This method somewhat works
Yes there is coin cleaners out there , I have never done it but i know someone who has with great success , also if you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner. I would not recomend scrubbing it with anything, but I guess if you are sure they are not worth anything more than bullion go ahead. I bought a spanish bust dollar from a shipwreck which had one side with a nice black typical patina and the other side looked like somone scrubbed it with steel wool or something totally ruined any collectable value, I dont care since I paid about $15 bucks at the time and under spot but it would have been a $40-50 coin untouched. Just be careful if you go cleaning coins I have seen alot of people new to collecting ruin old rare expensive coins because they thought a little rubbing alcohol and a brush would make it look more pretty. My uncle called me after a little drinking and was about to try and clean an old morgan dollar collection he inhereted with Bud light!! I just said NO NO put the coins away, and maybe the bud too before you ruin a possible gold mine of coins. I can just imagine what he was thinking, drinking some beers looking at his old tarnished coins and then the brilliant idea hit him.
I have tried jewellery dip, some of the coins went yellow, they were pretty dirty to begin with and the dip was quite old, now they look like gold! It may have been that they were 50% silver. It depends on the dirt, soap and water will remove most of it, actetone or white spirits will remove grease and handling dirt. Don't rub too hard as you can cause further damage, running tap water is best. Rinse in distilled water if you have it and pat dry on a towel. Sodium Bicarbonate paste rubbed on with a thumb will give it a shine. You are right not to clean numis but mass production commemoratives in poor condition don't really count. The big give away that a coin has been cleaned is in the middle of letters and on the milled edge. A cloth laid out flat with a paste of sodium bi carb on it is good for rubbing the edges of a coin to clean out the dirt and easier to use than a toothbrush. A toothpick is good for the middle of letters. Happy cleaning
LMAO toothbrush on a proof coin.. haha.. well with this coin it wont matter cos you most likely only get spot.. these things have very little demand.. but seriously.. just leave it alone unless you are feeling destructive.. it wont be worth your while cos you are not dealing with a valuable item or an item with numismatic appeal. Advice on proofs.. NEVER EVER CLEAN.. Good hunting..
It is true that cleaning it won't improve it's value. I would only clean them so they look better in the stack. They will never pass as proof again but no real loss to the numismatic world!
There are some other great threads on cleaning coins, with full instructions and before-and-after pictures so if you haven't already had a search for them take a look.
I have special silver cleaning cloths that I've used on a bullion bar that was fairly tarnished and a maple that had quite a few spots on it, both came out much better. The maple still looks brand new. So I'm confident I could use the cloths without damaging the coins, cleaning them may even reveal any "minor imperfections" they have as it's difficult to see any now, other than that they're tarnished. I don't think cleaning them will improve the value of them but I think if they look prettier, someone may be more inclined to accept them in a trade.
Just touching a proof is enough to make a puritan have a hissy fit. However, sometimes cleaning is beneficial. An impregnated silver cleaning cloth is great on flatware and smooth surfaces but wont get into the letters and numbers on a round and will look cleaned instantly for Heavy Dirt, as above, i use Cloudy Ammonia to loosen it (10min- and test) and very wet bicarb. It must be soaking wet too. if you put it on dry, you will scratch the guts out of it. Pure silver is quite soft really If its tarnished the aluminium and boiling water and bi carb trick is the least destructive and fastest. or for the little jobs, tomato sauce
I have used an ultrasonic bath with fairly hot water and a little detergent, followed by simmering in a pan of almost boiling water with washing up liquid. Also used acetone and q-tips to clean stubborn areas. If the surface is polished as opposed to frosted, try silver cleaner paste, tiny amount of water and gently rub with soft cotton wool / pad. Rinse well and dab dry. If air drying you should use distilled water or very soft water that doesn't spot or leave residue.
It depends on what you are cleaning. PVC residue -long soak in acetone or xylene, then rinse in surgical spirit, then water, then distiller water. Tarnish -hot water,tinfoil, sodium bicarb and salt, followed by hot water. I like using MS70 for resistant marks. My feeling is don't rub just leave in the solutions for longer times. I soak in acetone or xylene for 2 days if required. Xylene is better, and I have the facilities to warm it up to 60C which helps. Be careful of fumes and flash point about 90C. I have removed finger prints that are years old from a Balboa with MS 70 soaking for 3 days. As long as the solutions are acid fee you should not rush and you should leave in solutions for days ather than use any serious abrasive rubbing. TOOTHBRUSH -never! That for the metal in your mouth.
I don't understand at all the 'never clean' adage. I understand the commercial implications but one of the advantages of metal is that mostly it is only metal that is going to stick forever to metal. Looking at coins from the ocean beds seems to indicate not to store them in salt water, but an occasional wipe or bath in a non-solvent should do nothing more than reveal detail. I don't see how a hundred years of grime, tarnish or 'toning' (another term for tarnish imho) influence one's enjoyment of coins - unless the knowledge that the accumulated grime is somehow adding to the memory experience.
So there you have it to clean coins all you need is: jewelry dip, acetone , alcohol, detergent , sodium bicarbonate, xylene, ammonia , aluminum foil, tomato juice, jewelry wipes an ultrasonic cleaner , a toothbrush and a little bud light for good measure . Take your nicest proof coins, mix all the ingredients together add them to the ultrasonic cleaner put the coins in and then scrub the sht out of them with the toothbrush (firm bristles if possible) and your coins will be better than the day they were minted . All your problems solved what would you have done without all the genius of silverstackers .
If your coins have obvious numi value but would look a bit better with a light clean just soak them in liquid ammonia solution for a couple of hours. Rinse them with water & dry with a soft cloth. That's it.
