How do i clean a possible wheat penny?

[SCDigginWithAK]

Today I found a penny that looks to be from the 1920s. It's not clear and I can't see anything on the back how do I clean it up to be able to see it?

 

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[Erik in NJ]

Drop it in some boiling hydrogen peroxide until the bubbling really slows down to a crawl. Use a toothbrush and some dish soap to remove any residual dirt. Repeat as neccessary. Coat with melted bees wax or Verdi-Care. Put it in a protective (plastic or paper) 2 x 2.

 

[mr helton]

If you're gonna clean the thing anyway, do it right and throw it in a rock tumbler with pea gravel and dish soap, if you have one of course.

 

[cjon455]

If you're gonna clean the thing anyway, do it right and throw it in a rock tumbler with pea gravel and dish soap, if you have one of course.

ive always been afraid to try that. I dont wanna sound standoffish but is that harsH?

 

[mr helton]

ive always been afraid to try that. I dont wanna sound standoffish but is that harsH?

It does surprisingly well, and after 3-4 hours you can't really see any damage from them without a microscope and even then it's basically nil.

It does change the color a little bit though. Check out this topic I made with pics

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/metal-detecting/359603-started-tumbling-my-finds-rock-tumbler.html

 

[cjon455]

It does surprisingly well, and after 3-4 hours you can't really see any damage from them without a microscope and even then it's basically nil.

It does change the color a little bit though. Check out this topic I made with pics

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/metal-detecting/359603-started-tumbling-my-finds-rock-tumbler.html

i retract my previous statement lol, they look great. those wheats look awesome!

 

[mr helton]

Keep in mind it will make the value of any coin worth melt value or face value, whichever is more. Ruins all additional value.

Perfect for coins you can't read or just don't care to sell but want to look nice.

 

[SCDigginWithAK]

I don't have a tumbler but I don't want to mess it up badly.

 

[SCDigginWithAK]

I don't have a tumbler but I don't want to mess it up badly.

 

[finderskeepers]

if you are looking for "safest" ways...

1. place under running warm water and continually "dab" with makeup/blush brush. Very soft and unlikely to scratch as long as you dab instead of swipe.
OR
2. soak in olive oil for a day or 2, then use toothpick to scrape off crud while rinsing repeatedly.
OR
3. use very soft toothbrush and Pepsodent original toothpaste(don't remember where, but saw that is the least abrasive)rinse, repeat,rinse,repeat.
OR any combination of the above

None of these will get your coin to be all sparkly, but should help you get enough crud off without damage. I'd still be cautious with # 3 if you thought there was any chance of a key date.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Please don't tumble your wheats or silver--it's good for clad and modern Lincolns though. If you want to clean a wheat cent use the peroxide method. Toothpaste can be used as a final step instead of a baking soda slurry, but they are typically used on silver, will work on copper too as a very mild abrasive to remove stubborn crud.

 

[wainzoid]

If you are going to tumble it use walnut shell for your media. It has sharp edges which cleans very well but is softer than the metal so it wont scratch it. You can buy it where they sell reloading supplies.

 

[SCDigginWithAK]

So I put it in while its boiling?

 

[Erik in NJ]

Crushed walnut shells works even better in a vibratory tumbler. I use a product called Flitz and squirt a little in there for cleaning metal parts--have always wondered how well it would work on coins. Brings metal parts back to a polished look! You can get crushed walnut shells at Petco or similar stores too.

If you are going to tumble it use walnut shell for your media. It has sharp edges which cleans very well but is softer than the metal so it wont scratch it. You can buy it where they sell reloading supplies.

 

[Erik in NJ]

So I put it in while its boiling?

Yes, or very hot, it will bubble like crazy as it loosens up the dirt and crud. And it won't bleach out the color of your coin.

 

[finderskeepers]

just sayin...might wanna take a quick look at this thread first, It's in Active threads right now

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/cleaning-preservation/357541-hydrogen-peroxide-trashed-my-ih.html

 

[Erik in NJ]

I boil the hydrogen peroxide in a small Pyrex dish that you can buy at the grocery store for 30-60 seconds in a microwave oven. It will often remove the green patina and clean the coin down to the metal without bleaching it. It does tend to darken copper to a nice chocolate brown color. If the coin is very crusty you will end up with a worn coin. But often it will bring an IH cent back to a very nice state. If it's toasted I'm afraid nothing will work well and it might be better left alone. After the peroxide bath(s) apply melted bees wax and buff or apply Verdi-Care to seal it.

 

[SCDigginWithAK]

After some what of the tooth pick process ( I used the back point of a tooth brush) the last one was the before. I still need to do the front I think I will wait till actually get toothpicks. Looks a lot better though

 

[SCDigginWithAK]

Front I'm almost positive it's 1924. I hope a 1924 D because only 2 million were minted. This was my second wheat penny. First one was a 1947

 

[finderskeepers]

just make sure the scraping isn't TOO heavy. Let some kind of liquid loosen the crud.Drop it in olive oil overnight. Nothing to lose, I've yet to see a single posting from anyone saying it ruined their coin.
speaking of which...just wanna make sure you saw the post above about the guy ruining his Indian Head with peroxide