To clean or not to clean?

[lara4228]

AND BY THE WAY- Why are you dredging up posts that are nearly a year old? If you have something of interest to add to our group, you should start a new thread, not dig up bodies...

Not necessarily true - this one thread is labeled as a "TIP" so I think any questions or added information would be valid.

[liveandievarieties]

Hmmm, OK. Maybe I've been doing this whole forum thing wrong.

[Maineman750]

I just hope a newbie doesn't get on here and think it's fine to clean with vinegar and salt....I can see it now on eBay...cleaned just like I learned on LCR

[Coppertop]

I just hope a newbie doesn't get on here and think it's fine to clean with vinegar and salt....I can see it now on eBay...cleaned just like I learned on LCR

I hope they don't I only tried it because I had a box of (COPPER) cents that looked like they were gonna crawl out of the box and onto the floor.

[liveandievarieties]

Naw Roger- let's go with Lara, we can post reckless and dangerous suggestions as fact and well, newbies are hear to learn one way or the other, right?

[lara4228]

Chris, I'm not too sure how to take your comment. Are you suggesting that I am making reckless and dangerous statements for others to take as a fact?

[EgCollector]

Well, i am not a newbie if we are talking coin collecting but i am new here and when i searched for cleaning as to see what you guys/galls say about that subject, i found this topic and i find this discussion interesting and i do agree with

My own personal opinion on the subject is this- IF IT'S A COIN THAT'S NOT COLLECTIBLE, not a rarity, screw around with it!........Years later, having done that has given me a lot of insight into what an original coin looks like, versus something that has been messed with.

although i dont have the luxury to experiment on cents as i dont have that many

and with this also

To reiterate Chris' point - just fiddle with regular coins and nothing collectible. Almost every experiment to clean a coin leads to irreparable harm to the coins surface - including anything done with good intentions or fast soaks in agents.

[john_doe]

I firmly stand behind the fact that you should never clean coins, but I have heard dipping in acetone will not change the luster to look cleaned.

[STRANGER4LIFE]

I was recently advised, by a dealer (more on him later), to use a Q-tip and regular rubbing alcohol. BUT, this is the same dude that moments ago told me this is commonly listed in his coin book for sale for $5 - then offered me $3.

[BadThad]

I was recently advised, by a dealer (more on him later), to use a Q-tip and regular rubbing alcohol. BUT, this is the same dude that moments ago told me this is commonly listed in his coin book for sale for $5 - then offered me $3.

Alcohol and a q-tip are very poor choices. This dealer doesn't have a clue what he's talking about.

Each coin with a problem requires a very specific choice of conservation methods that depend on the problem. If you don't know what you're doing and just trying stuff.....DO NOT DO IT to anything collectible. Conservation is a calculated and scientific process that produces a known outcome. Cleaning is a haphazard method that produces an unknown outcome. It's easy to see why cleaning is BAD!

[Fubsy]

Has anyone tried using a weak solution of Simply Green? It is a pretty mild soap when dilute.

[jcuve]

Has anyone tried using a weak solution of Simply Green? It is a pretty mild soap when dilute.

Let's start a new thread on this in the General Section. I'm not sure what Simply Green is, but curious...