Cleaning coins

[chevyman75]

How does everyone clean off coins to see what it is? Toothbrush, water? I know I destroyed a 1904 Indian head with water and toothbrush but some coins I can't make out and don't wanna rub them...

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[chevyman75]

I never use water. I think someone in a previous reply said tooth pick...I agree...Flatten a tooth pick out a little on the end so it resembles a tiny broom....Clean the coin as well as possible with it getting the crud off..Rub a little, very little of regular Chapstick (Black tube) between your fingers then massage the coin and it will usually bring it back to life quiet a bit. This works with button, buckles also.

Thanks Virginia digger

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[CJayC]

Then I artificially toned it.

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And finally I worked on it to bring it to a more natural look.

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Again, everyone has a different opinion when it comes to cleaning coins and there are many, many threads on Tnet discussing it. But personally, I'd rather have a pleasant looking coin than an unrecognizable metal disk.

What was your process for these two steps?



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[Charlie P. (NY)]

Our soil has a lot of clay and river mud so initially, if I think I have something good, I put it dirty in a separate sleeve of my pouch. When I get home I soak it in water with a little detergent. Then I rinse. From there the chewed toothpick.

At one hunt I was convinced I had a large cent until I got it home and it turned out to be a brick red stained Kennedy half.

 

[sjvalleyhunter]

What was your process for these two steps?



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To tone it I used an egg. I boiled it to a hard boiled state and then took it right from the water and put it into a zip top bag. I then crushed it in the bag, shell and all. (Careful because it'll be hot!)

I then wrapped the coin loosely in a small piece of paper towel and put it in the bag with the egg, being careful not to have the coin touch the egg. I sealed up the bag and let it sit for about 15 minutes or so. The sulfur in the egg will react with the silver to give it the tarnished look.

After it got to the dark color I was looking for, I took it out of the bag and then sprinkled just a small pinch of baking soda on it. I very lightly rubbed each side of the coin with the dry baking soda which removed some of the artificial toning, until I was satisfied with the final appearance.

 

[CJayC]

That's friggin' awesome! Love that ingenuity.


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[sjvalleyhunter]

That's friggin' awesome! Love that ingenuity.


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Well thanks, but I can't take credit for coming up with the process. I read how to do it somewhere online. But it was the first time that I tried it and I was pretty impressed with the results.

 

[Truth]

Wheaties I use my knee. I haven't been blessed enough to find an Indian.....yet


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