whats the best way to clean old pennies

[megnpat]

can anyone tell me the best way to clean old pennies i have several wheats that have alot of crud on them

 

[vpnavy]

Until someone pipes in - I searched

and found a bunch of threads with suggestions. Here are jsut a few...

• What's the best way to clean copper coins? (Mar 23, 2009)
• BEST WAY TO CLEAN DUG COPPER COINS (Mar 24, 2008)
• Whats the best way to clean coins after they been sitting in the ground? (Dec 01, 2006)

 

[dejapooh]

Warm soapy water. Do not rub. Coins should not be cleaned by any chemicals or any kind of scrubbing.

 

[jerseyben]

Dug coins? What kind of crud? Rare coins or just worthless bulk wheaties?

 

[usandthem]

I like to use a belt sander with a 40 grit belt. Shines'em right up.

 

[Frankyg]

In my humble opinion,

With coins that are already scratched and in poor condition, cleaning them won't decrease their value because they usually are not worth much anyway. Warm soapy water and a toothbrush won't damage them further. Avoid strong chemicals because they usually cause severe pitting and will destroy the appearance of the coin. Silver coins can be improved by soaking overnight in white vinegar and sodium bicarbonate mixture after washing in soapy water. I must stress though that this advice only applies to coins that are already damaged and have no value. Any coin that has value will decrease in value if cleaned.