Coffee grounds for cleaning

[wats]

Hey guys,
so recently I dug up what I thought was going to be a really decent silver Washington quarter. but I could not see the year. I broke all the rules and cleaned it myself first I put it in hot water with a mixture of dial antibacterial foaming hand soap and dish washer rinse aid. I kept it in there for about a minute. I dried it thourougly by wrapping it tight in a paper towel and applying pressure. next I used my coffee ground from my morning coffee. I put them in a cup put my hand over the top and shook the cup for about 45 second then with a new paper towel I applied pressure again to dry it after I rinsed the coffee grounds off. idk if this is a good or bad practice. it didn't get the coin very clean at all but it cleaned it enough to make me able to read the year. don't worry it ended up being a quarter from 1995 lol

 

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[Jason in Enid]

I have never heard of using coffee grounds to clean anything!

First, unless it's been in a fire or the ocean silver isn't ever so bad as what you describe. It often comes out of the ground as shiny as the day it was lost. At worst they develop a grey or black sulfide layer that merely turns them dark. You can still see full details. Once you have found a few silver coins, you will learn exactly what they look like when you dig them. There is almost never any guessing if it's silver.

Second, when you do find silver, start with just a water rinse. This will remove 99% of all the dirt on it. I often field clean mine by pouring a pool of water into my hand with the coin, then lightly dab it so I can see the date/design/detail. Occasionally you may need a soft toothbrush. If you can't see date / mint mark in the field, don't rub the dirt off just in case it's a rare one.

 

[Higgy]

Jason gives good advice.

NEVER rub an old coin in the field if you think its an oldie. Sometimes I carry a canteen full of water with me - sometimes not - but I never rub anything if I am hunting an old site. If you are coinshooting a fairground or someplace modern, rub away. Best just to carry a soft toothbrush and carefully flick away enough to see a date if needed.

 

[wats]

It is an old quarter, I will post a pic later on. But the greyish black residue wont come off. I found it next to my house maybe 6 inches deep. I think it must have been there forever because of all the crud on it. My guess is there is probably very little silver in my quarter since you say they normally come out of the ground pretty clean. Thanks for the tip on carrying water and just doing a quick rinse! I do know not to rub it off as the dirt will likely scratch the coin.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Is it an old quarter or a 1995 like you said in the first post? Quarter are either silver or they are clad with zero silver. 1964 and earlier, all dimes, quarters and halves are 90% silver. 1965 and later, all dimes and quarters are clad, but halves become 40% silver for a few years before becoming clad.

 

[david680]

1965 and later, all dimes and quarters are clad, but halves become 40% silver for a few years before becoming clad.

Not all, but all the circulation strikes were clad. There have been a number of proof or even a few mint set strikes that are silver. Notably, the 1976 Bicentennial coins, and silver proofs starting in 1992.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Not all, but all the circulation strikes were clad. There have been a number of proof or even a few mint set strikes that are silver. Notably, the 1976 Bicentennial coins, and silver proofs starting in 1992.

But these are so few in number that a digger has a better chance of winning the lottery than finding a proof silver coin in the dirt.

It's often best to not confuse the new hunters with red-hearings.

 

[coinman123]

Here's a typical silver coin after being in the ground for 200 years.



No cleaning needed other then removing some dirt, it came out of the ground looking as you see it. In fact, after the dirt dried on the coin while it was in my pouch it just crumbled off, I don't even remember if I even had to use water to cleaning this coin.

A little tarnished but not corroded or pitted in any way.

 

[Jason in Enid]

and this is what a modern era silver looks like straight from the ground (ignore the token at top)

This is what modern silver cons look like after a quick rinse

 

[wats]

Hey guys,
havent been on for awhile (i had finals) but omgsh thanks for the great responses!