Silver Coin Cleaning Hep

[nick1878]

I dont clean coins, nymore. I know not to, have damaged some in the past, not valuable.

I found a couple silver quarters near old fireplaceand apparently they were burid near metal hat seems to have fused to the silver and wont ome off no matter what. What should I do?

[stoney56]

For one I'd leave them alone unless you're talking a Big hunk of metal. 2nd, I'd check the fireplace out if it's accessible for hidden areas(i.e. bricks that are loose covering hidey holes). Or if house is burned down, check where remains of fireplace was. The quarters make for an interesting story by themselves.

[Copper]

The quarters make for an interesting story by themselves.

This is exactly right. Many times the story behind an item is what gives it value. Some gold coins found near the Titanic may have been worth $700 each (in actual numismatic value at the time they were found) but because they were from the Titanic they could bring $70,000 each.

People love a good story. Especially when it's true.

[Comanchero]

Still the best method for me for cleaning off the old black and gray silver sulfide off of silver coins and silver ware etc. is to put enough non iodized salt water into an aluminum pan, then put your silver pieces in, making sure they are contacting the aluminum metal of the pan. Slightly heat, and presto, the silver sulfide dissolves right off of them, doing no damage to the coins or silver objects themselves. Works on a passive electrolytic process. Cool down, rinse your silver off and buff them with a soft cloth. Keep the solution in the aluminum vessel you use and ya can reuse it over and over again, and eventually recover all the silver in it. Comanchero