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Okay, so I admit it... I *thought* it was my special cleaner. ;o)) oh well...
And, I also have to admit that I use a very soft boars hair bristle stippling brush to get into the tight spots. As far as I have been able to see the goo gone has done absolutely no harm to any of the coppers.
As far as verdigris is concerned I have discovered if the corrosion is embedded into the metal it will likely return even after using goo gone.
I would certainly agree with all of your cleaning techniques Jean. One thing I have never done is use Goo-Gone on BU/Red coins. (I don't know why that would need to be done anyway). I have been told that the Goo-Gone will affect the luster on BU/Red coins, but I have never tried it....(too scared to damage it).
You are correct in that the Goo-Gone will not address corrosion issues. In my upcoming article I make note of that too.
This stuff is just perfect for circulated coppers, and my success with it has been so good, I will not try anything else.
I do use pure Acetone to address PVC problems from previous improper storage (using PVC flips). That works well too, but only for light to moderate PVC damage. The mistake folks make the most often is scrubbing or wiping the coin rather than rinsing or rolling a Q-tip to remove the excess solvents. I can't tell you how many coins I have seen where improper cleaning/conservation techniques have rendered nice coins useless.
Bob Piazza
Former Lincoln Cent Attributer Coppercoins.com
Hi Bob,
This makes me want to do a couple of experiments and post them here.
I have plenty of bu's with different dates, copper and zinc, some MS cents and some proof cents that won't be difficult to donate to the cause. Then it is pictures and more pictures of the results.
Off I go into the land where no one dared go before...
Jean
WARNING! THESE PICTURES MIGHT DISTURB SOME COLLECTORS!
DO NOT ATTEMPT THESE TECHNIQUES ON YOUR COINS!
The 2000 S Proof Lincoln I chose for this experiment is from a roll I bought some time ago. Under 15x magnification most of the coins would not pass MS 65 if I were to grade them, so I decided to use one of the rejects to answer a question about how to "Clean my coins"...
1. This is the original coin.
2. The coin after applying a drop or two of goo-gone and soaking up the excess with a cotton swab. Although it is not as obvious in the picture as I would have hoped, the cleaning solution did leave some areas of film which I was not certain how to remove.
3. The unpleasant results of using a super soft camera lens cloth to attempt to remove the film left by the cleaner. Note the scratches.
All presented for your questions about cleaning, and your comments about the first of a few more experiments I am planning to do to see what results from 'cleaning a coin'.
Did you rinse the coin in luke warm water?
1).Try a soft white cloth/towel and pat the coin dry.
2). Use a Cotton swab that is completely soaked with water and lightly try to take the residue off of the coin (A dry swab will leave scratches). Then use a soft white towel/cloth to pat the coin dry. Just a thought. Thanks for sharing your info. JOE
I don't know the after-effect's of using goo-gone on coins with a zinc finish. I only know that pre-82 coins that goo-gone work's the best. The coin did turn out nice!
Thanks for experimenting Jean. Proof coins will scratch if you look at them funny. As I said, I never took the gamble because I didn't want to chance it. I will leave things as they are, and just stick to trying to clean circulated coins.
Bob Piazza
Former Lincoln Cent Attributer Coppercoins.com
We have the cameo proof cent experiment out of the way.
This time I am presenting two well circulated Lincolns to show what the before and after.
First we have the 50S before cleaning. Notice all the grime and verdigris on the devices.
Next we have the 50S after cleaning... better, but not perfect.
The cleaning allows us to see the mint mark and other devices easier.
Next is the reverse of the 50S before cleaning, and lastly
is the 50S reverse after cleaning.
Notice that the majority of the verdigris is gone from the field. If you are aware of how the verdigris can spread on the coin and any coin it touches, then you know how important it is to remove what you can to conserve the coin a little longer. Surface verdigris is fairly easy to remove. If the verdigris has worked into the surface of the metal I have found no way to remove it completely, and it will regrow. I only patted the residue off with a clean cotton cloth or swab, and have not tried to wash off the goo gone.
This cleaning was done with the goo gone and an artists boars hair stippling brush. This brush is different in its shape, instead of flat bristles the bristles are formed in a circle. You would need to practice on a coin that is rather unimportant to your collection before going any farther with the technique.
I have yet to see any damage to any circulated Lincoln cent cause by the goo gone or the brush. Of course, I cannot guarantee it hasn't caused any minute scratches on the surface of the coin. I know for a fact that a soft cotton cloth, cotton swab, or any kind of brush can harm a beautiful shiny proof coin.
This all comes down to whether or not you really want to clean coins on your own. Perhaps this is enough of an experiment to help you see what can happen if coins are cleaned improperly.
Thanks for letting me try this out and report back.
Remember...for the most part, DO NOT CLEAN COINS.
I want to thank everyone for their advice in how to remove crud from a coin without hurting the coin. I used Goo Gone and rose thorn works great. Here are the after PICS. Look at the first of the post to see the coin before cleaning again thanks it looks great.
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