help cleaning old pennies

[StevoCBR]

I found a couple of old wheat's and searched online and did the vinegar/salt trick. Well did that and it didn't take all the crud off and made them look weird....but did find out one is a 1919d. Is there anything i can do to clean these up more and maybe make em look a little better. I remember reading something a while back of letting them sit on the hot water heater in some solution for a month? I'm not a charter member, so I can't search

Thnx

 

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[Tn Gizmo]

Vinegar and salt will damage pennies in my opinion. Actually the experts say don't clean them at all. (especially if it is valueable) That being said I know some have had good results by soaking them in olive oil. Once more cleaning a coin will reduce the value as a collectable. Good Luck.

 

[SFBayArea]

I've got some wheat pennies with green corrosion on them.. I just have some sitting in canola oil and after a month they seem to have improved.

 

[usafaviator]

Throw them in a rock tumbler with aquarium gravel, water and a squirt of Dawn. Make sure not to mix pennies with silver (color) clad unless you want everything to be copper colored (kinda like throwing a red sock into a load of whites in the washing machine).

 

[fistfulladirt]

I've used all the methods to clean coins, usually dug coins. I tumble most of my wheats, the aquarium gravel method. It does damage them if tumbled more than a couple minutes.
I don't use olive oil as a preservative. It's organic and will decay over time.
Mineral oil as a preservative is ok.
Drop a copper into hot peroxide, it will loosen caked-on gunk, but will also possibly darken the coin.