Found 183 BEAT UP wheats today

[jrf30]

Does anyone have a suggestion on getting them a little cleaner? I opened some hand rolled pennies that the bank saved for me and in 6 rolls I found 183 wehat pennies. But, most are VERY messy. Black stuff on them, some corrosion of some sort on a lot of them, and they are so crusted they look like they came out of a shipwreck from Deep Blue Marine.

I'm still excited to have them, as they are still wheats. But I'd like to get them a little cleaner than they are. I can't even read the dates on 2/3 of them.

Thoughts?

 

[seger98]

The peroxide method works pretty good, look it up in cleaning coins on this site!

 

[Cat J]

I put mine in the sink and filled it with Hot water and Dawn detergent. They were a lot cleaner after that but it won't get the crud off just the dirt and some of the crude.

Good luck
Cat

 

[jewelerdave]

I use a jewelers professional Ultrasonic cleaner with water and ammonia. It rattles off dirt and oxides quite nicely and you cant tell afterwards. Its how a lot of people in the industry up the grade of coins with out "cleaning" them.
So long as no rubbing is going on, its all good.
An ultrasonic makes tiny air bubbles knock against the dirt on the coin and rattles it off.
takes off just about all dirt.
great for cleaning carburetors. Jewelry, Coins etc.
Its strong enough to knock silver oxide of jewelry castings. Its strong enough to knock most dirts off.
If you use a solvent it works even better to get goo off of things. Acetone, etc.
And the number one dangerous useful thing it can be used for, getting silver chloride to break down when dissolving gold in a solution of Aqua Regia Acid. But thats a full scale assault to destroy things.