1,503 Dirty Coins

[CladMoonRising]

2015 was my first year detecting and I was fortunate to come up with some pretty cool coins and relics. I also ended up with an overflowing jar of clad. How clean do coins need to be before dumping them into a Coinstar machine? Or am I better off rolling them and taking them to the bank? What do people do with 1,503 dirty coins?

 

[redcobra8u]

Dish soap works pretty good but honestly, I toss the pennies into dish soap and send everything to B of A and never have a problem.

 

[BladeRunner2019]

I throw mine into a Harbor Freight rock tumbler with some Dawn and give it about 15 or 20 minutes. I don't separate pennies from others until after the cleaning. I typically go through them and look for any "missed" coins such as wheaties or silver. The only silver I missed so far was a war nickel. Out of the ground it looked like a normal nickel and I didn't check the date. After the cleaning it stuck out since it was fairly shiny.

I have had no issues using the credit union's machine to cash them out. And since my wife is a member, there is no charge.

 

[stefen]

1. You can also have the last laugh and reseed local playgrounds and parks and let the next MD'er's blood pressure rise a bit...

2. Donate to a worthy cause and take the Tax write-off...

3. Use as pocket change...

4. And if it was me, I'd just wrap them and Wells Fargo here I come.

 

[SeabeeRon]

I "Rinse & Roll" mine and take them to the bank!

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

I throw mine into a Harbor Freight rock tumbler with some Dawn and give it about 15 or 20 minutes. I don't separate pennies from others until after the cleaning. I typically go through them and look for any "missed" coins such as wheaties or silver. The only silver I missed so far was a war nickel. Out of the ground it looked like a normal nickel and I didn't check the date. After the cleaning it stuck out since it was fairly shiny.

I have had no issues using the credit union's machine to cash them out. And since my wife is a member, there is no charge.

I use my Harbor Freight tumbler with about 8 ounces of coinage (separated by coin denominations), with about about half that weight in cleaned gravel,
and just enough water to cover the whole mess.
Then, about two full days does it...!
I'm afraid to use any soap, but the water does just fine - with the results quite passable at banks, and elsewhere.
Note: Watch out that a dime might sneak in with a load of pennies, but if one does,
the whole load with turn a neat bronze color - kinda neat, actually....!

 

[Mifarmer]

I haven't taken mine in, I figured I would bury them in wax sealed mason jars and give my kids a treasure map someday
Kyle-

 

[T.C.]

I use my Harbor Freight tumbler with about 8 ounces of coinage (separated by coin denominations), with about about half that weight in cleaned gravel,
and just enough water to cover the whole mess.
Then, about two full days does it...!
I'm afraid to use any soap, but the water does just fine - with the results quite passable at banks, and elsewhere.
Note: Watch out that a dime might sneak in with a load of pennies, but if one does,
the whole load with turn a neat bronze color - kinda neat, actually....!

Try lemon juice and salt....tumble for 30 to 45 minutes....just like new. Rinse out barrel....done!!

 

[gilgar]

I just spend them as I find them and keep track on paper. If you feel uncomfortable handing them to a cashier, then use them in vending machines. If you really have to have clean ones, put them in a vending machine and hit return, keep doing this until you start getting the dirty ones again and move on to another.

 

[HenryWaltonJonesJr]

Do you guys really need to clean/roll them? I just take em to Chase and they count them/deposit and give me the rejects that need cleaning or are too chewed up.

 

[T.C.]

Do you guys really need to clean/roll them? I just take em to Chase and they count them/deposit and give me the rejects that need cleaning or are too chewed up.

Yes, I do Henry....it's called "personal choice." Does that upset you??

 

[HenryWaltonJonesJr]

Yes, I do Henry....it's called "personal choice." Does that upset you??

I was under the impression some banks still required it. But rolling for fun sounds like a great hobby!

 

[T.C.]

I was under the impression some banks still required it. But rolling for fun sounds like a great hobby!

I clean mine up because I do not want to jam up the Coin Star at my Credit Union. I've heard stories of people jamming up a Coin Star with MDing coins, asked to not bring any more back. My Credit Union doesn't charge me anything for the service....so I try to clean 'em up.

 

[PluGGLife]

I use one of those dual sided harbor freight tumblers and "2 LB 1/8" 302 Stainless Steel Balcone Tumbling Media Shot". I use a little water just to cover the top of the media and coins then throw in a little lemon shine wash booster. Add a squirt of dawn ultra and about 2 hours later they sparkle like new. Separate the pennies out. Pennies only take 30 to 45 mins to look brand new.

The stainless steel media works a lot better than rocks.

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

I use my Harbor Freight tumbler with about 8 ounces of coinage (separated by coin denominations), with about about half that weight in cleaned gravel,
and just enough water to cover the whole mess.
Then, about two full days does it...!
I'm afraid to use any soap, but the water does just fine - with the results quite passable at banks, and elsewhere.
Note: Watch out that a dime might sneak in with a load of pennies, but if one does,
the whole load with turn a neat bronze color - kinda neat, actually....!

UPDATE: Sorry, to mislead everyone, but after what I did above, the coins weren't clean.
Use but 7.5oz (or $10 in quarters) for coinage weight,
PLUS only 3 heaping tablespoons of gravel, with enough water to just cover it all.
That after FOUR days, the coins came out clean enough to use in exchange, with no question.