**Color Shock (from cleaning)**

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Hi all,

I noticed coins that I get from the ground such as nickles and pennies. When washed with water it causes somekind of chemical change and the color of the coins will change. Nickles turn red and pennies turn green. (This happend with a wheat penny and a buffalo nickle I dug.)

I am calling it **Color Shock!**

To avoid this bad change I recommend a dry clean at first of some kind. See if that will remove the dirt you want.

Keep @ it and HH!!

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Tuff crowd!!

Keep @ it and HH!!

[JakePhelps]

I noticed a color change happens when they dry out too, maybe its best to keep them packed in a film container of moist soil straight to the sink? I think when they dry up then get re-wetted something happens It could also be the type fo water we are using, because I know the tap water here contains alot of cholrine, so much you can taste it. Maybe distilled water would work better?

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Could be

Keep @ it and HH!!

[Jeffro]

That may be what is changing the coins- if you can smell, taste chlorine in your water, its not really chlorine per se- its chloromines- chlorine mixed with ammonia. Chloromines still kill contaminants in the water, but much slower than straight chlorine. Plenty of time between the treatment plant and your house. Stretches their chlorine bill, if you know what I mean.

Try some purified water and see if you get the same results. May just be the wacky stuff in your water.

[jeff of pa]

Jeffro, gave you the answer.

The ONLY time my coins turned green, was when I decided to see what Bleach would do.

Your Water must be VERY high in chlorine content.

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Bleach? Our water is high in sulfur so our $5k filter may use bleach but still won't get all the sulfur. Maybe its the sulfur or both? I will get a high pressure spray bottle and put spring water in it and take it on the field.

Thanks for the info. more welcome.

Keep @ it and HH!!

[Jeffro]

I do know that coin doctors used to use sulphur on silver coins. You know those Morgans with the brilliant rainbow toning? Thats what sulphur does. I have no idea what it would do to copper and nickel coins, though. But yeah, I would think that there has to be some kind of chemical reaction going on.

Some folks soak their coins in olive oil first, helps to loosed the dirt and save the surface, maybe this would do the trick?