I know you are not supposed to clean your coins but....

cyberdan

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Dec 12, 2006
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Is there a mild coin cleaner accepted by collectors? I am going through a bunch of old coins I have had for a long time. Time to sell. My wife would not know what to do with them when I hit the big bank vault in the sky. Some are just a little cruddy or sticky. I don’t want to make them look better, just take off fingerprints and ???
 

Are they silver coins ?
 

Are they silver coins ?

Well Roger, Dan has been around here for a long time, though I don't recall any recent threads he's posted and he knows his silver.

I think he is preparing his family with the information they will need.

Stay with us Dan, we just lost GA_Boy - you need to stick around.
 

You can use a number of products depending on the desired results and your comfort level with chemicals.

I'm assuming they are all silver. There is the old saying that you can't shine sh*t. And we all know clad is bad so there really is no point in trying to clean clad.

The mildest is white distilled vinegar diluted with water (strong enough that when you smell it, you still cringe). Soak the coins sometimes it takes a few hours if the grime is thick. Then just soap up your hands with dish soap and rinse the coins with your sudsy hands. Pat dry.

If you need to remove fingerprints and the like, then use acetone. This must be done in a well-ventilated area in a glass container. I like to use a horsehair brush. Acetone will dissolve plastics. Rinse with water and pat dry.

If you don't want to use the home remedy, then you can use products such as MS70 Coin Cleaner.
 

Dan: I use DAWN LIQUID SOAP, put a few drops in an Rx bottle, ( or in your case a jar with a lid), hot water, cover and shake well. Shake every now and then for 2-3 days., rinse well, tap dry with soft cloth.
It doesn't polish the coin, but it does get rid of the oily slime etc that's on coins.
I wash all my junk silver and wheat cents like this, makes them more presentable.
Hay, if DAWN SOAP is good enough to clean off the wild waterfowl of spilled oil, it should be good enough to get the dirt and oil off coins.
 

Well Roger, Dan has been around here for a long time, though I don't recall any recent threads he's posted and he knows his silver.

I think he is preparing his family with the information they will need.

Stay with us Dan, we just lost GA_Boy - you need to stick around.
I don’t plan on leaving very soon, but you never know. I am pushing 70, but right now I am in school, helping teach 1st graders. They are having playtime right now. The noise is tolerable, funny three months ago I would have been looking for a quiet corner.
 

Acetone then rinse good with distilled water
 

Cyberdan: re-reading your original post, that the coins are STICKY, then by all means wash them in the DAWN SOAP. Thats what I do with coins from the banks inner reject bins, coins gummed together, dawn will correct the problem.
 

I don’t plan on leaving very soon, but you never know. I am pushing 70, but right now I am in school, helping teach 1st graders. They are having playtime right now. The noise is tolerable, funny three months ago I would have been looking for a quiet corner.

As am I Dan, I'm a July 4, 1949 baby - somewhere near you! You're doing more than I am! I just hide up the holler avoiding human contact!
 

I think you'd be FAR better off to leave them as is and let their eventual owners decide is they should be cleaned. This has monetary mistake written all over it.
 

I think you'd be FAR better off to leave them as is and let their eventual owners decide is they should be cleaned. This has monetary mistake written all over it.
With some coins I agree. I have an 1844 large copper coin that would look much nicer if I dipped it, but right now I have it on feeBay for $499

Some silvers are just sticky or feel dirty.
 

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