washing grime off 1943 circ. roll

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  • jhcons
    • Apr 2026

    #1

    washing grime off 1943 circ. roll

    I found a few rolls of 1943 p,d,and s cents that I put away awhile ago. I know I would not have put them up if the had all the fuzz and dirt on them this bad. Does not look bad till under the micro scope. They are not worth much (to me) but I want to search them. Can I soak them or what?
  • hasfam
    Paid Member

    • May 2009
    • 6291

    #2
    I wouldn't. No matter what you do to them, they'll turn dark. If it's just dirt, try soaking them a little in distilled water, then maybe a short bath in acetone, but even then, I don't guarantee they won't discolor. The steelies have no mercy when it comes to rust and discoloration.
    Rock
    My LCR Photo Album of Graded Lincoln Cent Cherry Picker Varieties

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    • admrose
      Member
      • Jan 2013
      • 1077

      #3
      You look at them and they rust. There is no way to save steelies that I know of.
      2013 Circulation Variety Finds
      My eBay Listings

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      • 1jackel1
        Member
        • Dec 2008
        • 593

        #4
        The only way i found out to keep the steels safe and clean is to buy bu ones (not re-plated ones as they are worthless) and put them in air tight containers, i bought a few of these and yes they rust so quick. I even had bu ones for a week and they started to turn dark and that just made my day, was not happy about that, 2x2's are not the best either. so i got one of by brand new plastic rolls and put 10 bu 1943's in there and made a piece of foam to fit the tube tight and put that down on top of the coins and put the lid on tight so not air can get in there and ruin my coins. Had no problems with this so far.


        George

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        • coppercoins
          Lincoln Cent Variety Expert
          • Dec 2008
          • 2482

          #5
          Once 1943 cents are corroded they are basically worthless. So I would only suggest something like this with coins that are already done for the day. Disclaimer - I HAVE NOT TRIED THIS.

          A dealer once told me that you can clean rust and corrosion off 1943 cents with muriatic acid. A mild solution of mostly water with muriatic (pool) acid takes the grime right off of them.

          I DO NOT know how well this works. I simply haven't had the interest in trying it. Remember, though, that this stuff is ACID. Take proper precautions and do a Google search regarding handling the acid before buying it. It should be available in any swimming pool supplier.
          Charles D. Daughtrey, NLG, Author, "Looking Through Lincoln Cents"
          [URL="http://www.coppercoins.com/"]http://www.coppercoins.com[/URL]

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          • jhcons

            #6
            Originally posted by coppercoins
            A dealer once told me that you can clean rust and corrosion off 1943 cents with muriatic acid. A mild solution of mostly water with muriatic (pool) acid takes the grime right off of them.

            Take proper precautions and do a Google search regarding handling the acid before buying it. It should be available in any swimming pool supplier.
            I use muriatic acid to clean up after my brick layers get done. I have some in shop and I think I may try it just to see if it works. Not that I am trying to do anything with the tubes I found. Just curious and probabaly a big waste of time. I will let you know .

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            • Roller
              Member
              • Feb 2010
              • 6975

              #7
              I have used muriatic acid on stained/rusted steel and it does remove the rust. (One time I used it on a vintage Japanese damascus steel knife with plenty of patina on it and ruined the value of the knife.) It is a guarantee that the coin will be worthless after you use acid on it. Besides, are these coins not zinc coated? I believe it would strip the zinc right off the coin.

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              • jhcons

                #8
                Thanks Just a waste of time but I am going to do a few just for the hell of it. When it ever gets brought up again I will know the answer first hand.

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