I never know what I'll pull out of the can!! Nicely toned coin!

[VAB2013]

I think we need to differentiate between toning and staining here. I do not believe this coin to be toned at all, but because of the introduction of a liquid, it is stained these beautiful colors. We can get into semantics here but toning on coins is generally from air or being in contact with papers or materials made with chemicals that can affect the coins surface. Staining is generally from liquids, and my personal take is that this coin suffered from that.

Thank you Bob for this clarification! Now I can see the difference with this one looking like something was spilled on it. I'm not very good with telling if something is toned or damaged but I can spot a Lincoln that has been washed with dish soap a mile away! That rainbow affect from soap bubbles is not pretty on a coin, it is irreversible damage!

[mindtab]

Viv, how would I clean a wheat cent like this one? especially inside the letters; it's so small. Or really greasy coins; some also have glue on them. Acetone doesn't seem to get it off.

my_photo-83.jpg

[GrumpyEd]

Agree with Bobs point. For me, a toner needs to be from exposure to things in the air, heat, time. If it's a pattern of rainbow colors from ketchup and skin oil from being handled while eating fries then it's a pretty stain.

[GrumpyEd]

Viv, how would I clean a wheat cent like this one? especially inside the letters; it's so small. Or really greasy coins; some also have glue on them. Acetone doesn't seem to get it off.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]144508[/ATTACH]

Sometimes you can't improve them, other times you can.
If you get the dark area along the rim off, it might leave a pale area and that is worse than the gunk.

I have seen some dealers that keep a cloth, often greasy from rubbing years of coins. People say not to rub coins but grungy old circulated coins have already been rubbed so sometimes a wipe with a soft old cloth will help. I'm talking about things like a grungy old wheat or green old IHC. Sometimes a wipe with a cloth or a soft toothbrush helps but you need to know when to stop and when not to try it at all.

[mindtab]

I agree, GrumpyEd. haha-->on the ketchup and oil. what a combo. They would be like a ...sunset.

[VAB2013]

Viv, how would I clean a wheat cent like this one? especially inside the letters; it's so small. Or really greasy coins; some also have glue on them. Acetone doesn't seem to get it off.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]144508[/ATTACH]

Sometimes you can't improve them, other times you can.
If you get the dark area along the rim off, it might leave a pale area and that is worse than the gunk.

I have seen some dealers that keep a cloth, often greasy from rubbing years of coins. People say not to rub coins but grungy old circulated coins have already been rubbed so sometimes a wipe with a soft old cloth will help. I'm talking about things like a grungy old wheat or green old IHC. Sometimes a wipe with a cloth or a soft toothbrush helps but you need to know when to stop and when not to try it at all.

Thank you Ed for helping Camelia with this one! A couple of other things come to my mind on this question. Check your cents out carefully before you do "anything" to them. If you were to find something rare, or very rare, I wouldn't be in a big hurry to do anything to it without consulting with an expert first. For example.... I have not done a thing to the 92D CLAM, not even acetone - it went straight to a Saflip to my safe. This CLAM will be going to Bob for inspection as soon as I find a couple more things worth slabbing - at that time if Bob wants to acetone or VerdiCare it - I would greatly appreciate his judgement and expertise on what he thinks it needs before slabbing.

Next is... why do you want to clean this particular one? Is it worth the time and trouble? If it's not worth the time invested in going through the steps of acetone, distilled water, back to acetone, finding a thorn from a rose bush... moving on to xylene... then do you really want to clean it? Sometimes, like Ed said... nothing is going to make it look better and all that will do is make you mad enough to get out the toothbrush, toothpick and Dawn dish liquid... then you just have a damaged scratched Lincoln.

Here is BadThad's (the inventor of VerdiCare) link to The First Steps to Proper Coin Conservation.

[VAB2013]

Okay... sorry... I tried to be short-winded in the above explanation. But, in doing so, I left out the next thing.

Let's say you have a find, and you think it's a variety (not one of the BIG ones) and you want to take pics of it without the crumbs and various particles that you see on the surface. That is when a quick soak in acetone (start with 15 minutes) will help. I agree, photos with crumbs and lint particles are not very pretty! Sometimes no matter how hard you try to soak these little particles off, you get ready to take the pic... or you have just taken the pic and there's one or two of them left Trust me... I have been pushed to the point of wanting to take a toothbrush to it... but instead... I just got a very soft make up (eyeshadow) brush and I very lightly touch the surface of the coin in the center and go toward the rim (like the direction of the flow lines), sometimes while it's in the acetone, sometimes right after I take it out of the acetone and the acetone has not evaporated yet. And yes, sometimes I do give the motto and mint mark a little extra swish with the makeup brush to try to get the gunk out of the devices, but most of the time it will not all come out.

[Rowdyricster]

Very good info to know, Viv.

[VAB2013]

Very good info to know, Viv.

Thank you Rowdy! I'm kind of a clean freak to some degree so I really had to study the information on the forum to curtail my tendencies to want take it out on Lincolns!

[makecents]

I had forgotten about this post... I went back and looked at the pics I took of this coin, it's pretty ugly, hopefully it was better in hand.

[VAB2013]

I had forgotten about this post... I went back and looked at the pics I took of this coin, it's pretty ugly, hopefully it was better in hand.

It's not easy to get toning to look the same way in pics as it does in hand so that may be why, but it was nice for Bob to drop by and keep us going in the right direction!

[makecents]

It's not easy to get toning to look the same way in pics as it does in hand so that may be why, but it was nice for Bob to drop by and keep us going in the right direction!

I would concur on all counts! Thanks Bob!!

[mindtab]

Thank you Ed for helping Camelia with this one! A couple of other things come to my mind on this question. Check your cents out carefully before you do "anything" to them. If you were to find something rare, or very rare, I wouldn't be in a big hurry to do anything to it without consulting with an expert first. For example.... I have not done a thing to the 92D CLAM, not even acetone - it went straight to a Saflip to my safe. This CLAM will be going to Bob for inspection as soon as I find a couple more things worth slabbing - at that time if Bob wants to acetone or VerdiCare it - I would greatly appreciate his judgement and expertise on what he thinks it needs before slabbing.

Next is... why do you want to clean this particular one? Is it worth the time and trouble? If it's not worth the time invested in going through the steps of acetone, distilled water, back to acetone, finding a thorn from a rose bush... moving on to xylene... then do you really want to clean it? Sometimes, like Ed said... nothing is going to make it look better and all that will do is make you mad enough to get out the toothbrush, toothpick and Dawn dish liquid... then you just have a damaged scratched Lincoln.

Here is BadThad's (the inventor of VerdiCare) link to The First Steps to Proper Coin Conservation.

Viv, late here in replying. I was on the road. Got back today, and washing clothes and things, and packing, going back out on the road tomorrow. It has actually been a horrible week at the work site. Hopefully it gets better. Supposed local techs I was in charge for, did nothing but vent time. I practically had to do the site by myself, mostly, but it wasn't completely done or to standards expected. I am so down. But, I have to get my spirits up.

On your advice, I totally agree--anything external that could affect that valuable coin, stray away from and wait. Protect it in the meantime. Did you eventually slab the CLAM?

Thank you for your advice, Viv. Always.

[mindtab]

Interesting. I'll have to get one. I don't use, personally, makeup brushes.

[mindtab]

I had forgotten about this post... I went back and looked at the pics I took of this coin, it's pretty ugly, hopefully it was better in hand.

makecents, haha, ....do you know how many times I have done that? Too many to count. But, at the time, it looked interesting.
In a way though, sometimes it's good to take a second look at that coin. See, when I started, and reading everything new, and looking really hard at everything ---and kept that coin --it must have been for a reason. Maybe when later we look at it and THINK we know things to look for, " THIS ONE " doesn't qualify anymore for anything interesting. But maybe it does ----if we look at it 'with the same eyes again'.