Whats the best way to clean dug coins?

[SteveDodds]

Whats the best way to clean dug coins? I am not talking good coins. I want to be able to clean up coins that I dig up that are so bad that I can't even read the date. Especially dug copper cents. I have found a few wheat cents that are so black and corroded that you can't hardly see what kind of a coin it is. Also nickel and copper nickel coins. I just dug a buffalo nickel that is really bad. I am set up for electrolysis and I have an ultrasonic cleaner. Should I use one of these or should I do something different?

 

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[fistfulladirt]

Not sure about nickels, altho for encrusted copper I sometimes heat some peroxide for old IH's. It does tend to darken the coin. If its really bad, a virgin olive oil soak for up to several months. For common wheaties I may put them in a rock tumbler w/aquarium gravel and a drop of soap. I tumble for 20-30 minutes, almost no damage to the coin yet removes almost all crud and will bring out the detail very well. ffd

 

[ES66]

Try soaking the coins in vinegar. This works especially well for copper. If you think there's a chance it might be a decent coin, soak it overnight in distilled water first, then rinse it to see what it looks like. For nickels, try soaking them in worchestershire sauce, in a closed container. The suggestion of the heated peroxide can work well, but it can take all the detail off really bad coins. Good luck!

 

[LemonThrower]

a little salt in the vinegar makes it stronger.

i would start with half vinegar half water and some salt.

 

[Cladder]

Some of my first finds where some wheaties, one from 1917, I soakedthem in vineger over night ( I had forgotten about them) and it left me with a weaird looking pieace of bright colored copper........so i was wondereing how you used the viniger without damagng the coins?

 

[dazoff]

For coppers tumble them in dish soap for an hour, then another hour with a mix half & half red wine vinegar/ water they will come up looking new.