If you are an amateur coin collector or are just starting out with old coins, you may want to clean your old coins. Cleaning a coin can make the images on both sides of the coin look clearer and remove dirt and dust that has accumulated over the years or even decades. However, if you clean the coin incorrectly, you run the risk of damaging the face of the coin and permanently reducing its value. In most cases, it's better not to clean the coins at all, and if you want to clean them, only use a mild soap.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Taking Care of Precious Coins
Step 1. Leave the coins
As far-fetched as this may sound, the best course of action when dealing with dirty ancient coins is to leave it alone. If an ancient coin is in good condition, with only a few smudges or dirt on the face or back, the coin will be more valuable to the collector in as-is condition than if it had been cleaned.
Most types of cleaning will reduce the monetary value of the coin, especially if the face or back is damaged during cleaning
Step 2. Take the coin for expert review
If you're not an expert, but are curious if your coins are of great value, take them to a coin expert before cleaning. These experts will be able to give you advice on whether or not you should clean the coins. If your coin is unique or valuable, the coin expert probably won't recommend cleaning it.
A numismatist, currency and coin expert, can also provide advice on the value of your collection. The higher the value, the less reason to clean it
Step 3. Clean only worthless or dirty coins
If the coin's value is small and you don't plan on collecting or selling it to collectors, you may want to clean it for aesthetic reasons. It's also up to you if you want to clean very dirty coins. If the coin is so blackened or dirty that you can no longer see the face, you may decide to take the plunge and clean it up.
If you're unsure whether a coin you have is valuable, should be cleaned, or is worth keeping as a collectible, take the coin to a professional before trying to clean it. Of course it would be a shame if you accidentally dropped the price of a rare coin by half as a result of cleaning it without knowing the value of the coin beforehand
Method 2 of 3: Practicing Cleaning Without Damaging Coins
Step 1. Never clean coins with abrasive or acidic cleaners
While abrasive products are often advertised as effective coin cleaners, keeping coins clean is not solely your goal. On the other hand, products containing acids may erode some of the material on the surface of the coin during the cleaning process. While these products can make coins look cleaner and shiny, they will be damaged and their value will drop.
Similarly, you should never rub or scrape a coin to remove stains or blackened parts of a coin. Tools such as steel wool for polishing marble (steel wool) or wire brushes will damage the coin and render it worthless
Step 2. Clean the ancient coins with water
To clean coins without risking damaging the surface and reducing their value, only use water to clean old coins. Hold the rim of the coin and run the lukewarm distilled water. Flip the coin so that the back side is also wet. Then, gently dry the coin using a soft cotton cloth. This step will remove any light debris without scratching the coin.
If you live in a city, the tap water you use is already chlorinated. These chemicals will fade the color of the face of the coin. To avoid this, buy distilled water at the supermarket, or clean coins with water from a water purifier
Step 3. Clean the coin with a dilute soap solution
If distilled water is too weak to effectively clean dirty or scaled coin surfaces, another non-destructive option is a diluted soap solution. Pour a small amount of liquid soap in a large bowl, then fill the bowl with lukewarm distilled water. Hold the rim of the coin and spin the coin around in the soap solution. Then, rinse the coin with distilled water and dry it with a clean cloth.
Do not use dish soap to clean coins. This cleanser is too strong and abrasive. Instead, use a mild soap like hand soap
Method 3 of 3: Cleaning Special Types of Ancient Coins
Step 1. Rub old coins with tomato sauce
To clean copper coins, pour a little ketchup on the face and back of the coin. While holding the rim tightly, use a clean toothbrush to gently scrub the surface of the coin. The salt and vinegar in the sauce will clean the dirt on the coins. Then, rinse the coins with distilled water until clean, and dry with a clean cloth.
- This measure is most suitable for coins such as ancient United States penny coins issued before 1982. United States penny coins issued before 1982 are made with pure copper while coins issued after 1982 are made of a mixture of copper and zinc. so it can not be cleaned with tomato sauce.
- Be warned, the tomato sauce is slightly acidic so it may reduce the value of the coins.
Step 2. Clean old silver coins with baking soda
Start by cleaning the coin using running distilled water. Then, hold tightly to the edges. With your fingers or a clean toothbrush, gently rub a small amount of baking soda on both sides of the coin. The baking soda will remove the blackened and other debris on the surface of the coin. Rinse the coins with distilled water again, then dry with a clean cloth.
This process is most effective for ancient silver coins. However, it will not be very effective for newer coins that contain little or no silver
Step 3. Clean old coins with vinegar
White vinegar is a common cleaning agent that many people use to clean metal, including jewelry. To clean an old coin with vinegar, pour a cup of vinegar into a glass or bowl, then slowly insert the coin. Let the coin soak for a few minutes. Then, holding the edges, remove them from the vinegar and rinse with distilled water.
- If the coin is still stained or dirty, try scrubbing it gently with a soft toothbrush. However, be careful not to scratch the surface.
- If the coin doesn't look cleaner after a few minutes, put it back in the vinegar for a few hours. Ancient coins that are very old even in soaking overnight in vinegar.
