how to clean copper pennies without damaging themhow to clean copper pennies without damaging them

Drop your coins in a bowl and cover them completely with olive oil. If you have any other ideas, please share them in the comments below. Cleaning them can go wrong very quicklyand who wants to devalue their newly found treasure? Soak for 24 hours. Listerine and other antiseptic mouthwashes can clean dirt, oil, and debris from old coins. If you do not rinse all the vinegar off your wheat pennies, they may turn green or bluish green. In this video, I'm showing you the 2 safest methods to clean coins without devaluing them. You dont have to sacrifice the quality of your pennies just so you can have them looking good. This happens because the vinegar and salt dissolves the copper oxide layer of the penny. When in doubt, refrain from cleaning anything older than those. Remember, you dont want to use anything that has abrasive qualities to them because they can scratch the coins. Finally, drop the coins in, seal the lid, and shake it. However, with old coins you have found while metal detecting, you may want to refrain from cleaning. If it can clean oil off baby ducks, it should be able to clean your wheat pennies with very little damage! Elias Weston is a Cleaning Specialist and the Founder of Seatown Cleaners in Seattle, Washington. You can use lemon juice to clean copper pennies, but youll want to work in a well-ventilated area when you do. It works similarly to ketchup. ", "It is so amazing, the power of baking soda and vinegar.". While it is very possible to clean your pennies without damaging them, it is hard to say the same for the market value of the pennies. Copper, silver, nickel, and gold coins should strictly never be cleaned. Rinse and dry: After scrubbing, rinse in warm water and dry the copper with a lint-free dishtowel. After 24 hours of drying time (72 hours if you live in humid conditions), use a soft cloth like an old T-shirt or washcloth to buff up all sides of your penny until it has regained most of its original shine! In terms of valuable wheat pennies, while it can range vastly depending on the pennys condition, here are some best case scenarios in terms of value for a select few: If you happen to have one of these in your wheat penny collection, consider yourself incredibly lucky! An alternative is to use vinyl erasers, but they do not contain abrasive, which is typically found in pencil erasers. Vinegar and salt are the best methods of cleaning your pennies. This technique is an easy way to clean silver coins and zinc pennies without causing damage, too. Let the coins sit in the mixture for about 10 or 15 minutes so that the soap can break down the grime. There are many methods you can use at home to clean your wheat pennies, and other coins you have found, safely and carefully. The good news is that there is a solution available no matter what type of coin. Simply run the water over the coin, or let it soak in the water. Repeat the treatment with more oil as needed. After brushing each penny, rinse with clean water and dry, it should be looking good as new by now. % of people told us that this article helped them. From there, wipe your finger on your face for some natural oil, made up of sebum, and transfer it to the face of the coin. While you're grasping the coin firmly by its edges, use a clean toothbrush to lightly scrub the flat surfaces of the coin. Cleaning these will absolutely devalue them if they are not cleaned properlyso just be mindful of this. It is definitely cheaper to clean it yourself, but there are occasions where it would be more prudent of you to allow professionals to handle it. The coins should be dipped in that bowl for at least five minutes. Add distilled water and a small amount of dish soap to your shallow bowl. Finally, take the pennies out and rinse them off using distilled water. Soak your penny in the vinegar for a minimum of 30 minutes. You should also rub the coin gently to remove debris, and rinse it under the tap to wash off the oil. The best method for achieving that is with salt and vinegar. If you are planning to sell your cleaned pennies, using chemicals or scrubbing methods for cleaning could leave marks on the coins and an appraiser could easily discover this, which will greatly reduce the market value of your pennies. As you will come to find out, there are different methods for cleaning different types of coins. Dish soap is also a good and very gentle way to clean coins. Vinegar solutions are effective for removing dark spots on coins, but they also tend to make coins look a little dull. Make a bath using a cup of isopropyl alcohol combined with two tablespoons of salt. Cheap Metal Detectors If the water is not enough, continue down the list and use dish soap. You can always put them on other websites like Facebook market, but you may not reach the intended audience with that forum. Let them soak for a while. Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve. With this simple technique, anyone can get their penny as clean as it once was. They can eliminate or reduce the effects of outside contaminates that have caused issues with your coins. In addition to the vinegar and lemon juice, ketchup can also be used to clean copper pennies. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. They will, in fact, devalue. Patience is key: The best way to clean a copper coin is by using patience and not being afraid to try new methods until one works well enough for you without scratching up your penny too much while doing so. Youll be surprised at what works and what doesnt! Collectors actively look for the tiniest flaws in pennies and they have all the necessary tools to find those flaws. Have them professionally cleaned or sell them as is. Cleaning them can be a daunting task. You like wouldnt need the professional cleaning. [5] The salt and vinegar in the ketchup will remove tarnish from the penny. Place the quarter you want to clean into a small plastic bowl. Minelab CTX 3030 Review, on How to Clean a Copper Penny:10 Tips and Advices. Then mix gently until the salt totally dissolves in the lemon juice. If you do use an abrasive like vinegar or salt, make sure that you dont rub the abrasive in as it could scratch up the surface of the coin. Admittedly, this one is hard to see working well, so I always suggest testing brand new coin cleaning methods on a coin you care absolutely nothing about. With your paper towel, clean the pennies carefully and watch how they start getting clean and shiny. When a coin has evidence of cleaning, it is valued as Genuine-Cleaned. This means that despite the condition of the coin, it will be valued less than Fine range coins that have not been cleaned. Wet the penny with warm water until its thoroughly dampened (but not dripping). One of the main reasons for pennies becoming dirty is their continual circulation among people. Clean copper coins in a vinegar and salt solution. Instead, dip a soft-bristled toothbrush into the vinegar solution and scrub the coins with it. This natural acid can be used to clean coins, pots and pans, and more. This eliminates the possibility of abrasions to your investment. Easy & Effective Ways to Clean Dirty Coins at Home, 10+ Ways to Clean Your Clipper Blades like a Pro Barber. 1/4 cup white vinegar 1 teaspoon salt A clear, shallow bowl (not metal) 2 clean steel nails A clean steel screw or bolt Paper towels Put the salt and vinegar in the bowl. The first step to cleaning a copper penny is soaking it in vinegar. Alicia Sokolowski is a Green Cleaning Specialist and the President and co-CEO of AspenClean, a green cleaning company in Vancouver, British Columbia. If you dont have vinegar, lemon juice should work just fine. In fact, it works so well that, like the other coin cleaning brews mentioned here, it can completely strip away the original patina and obliterate the value of the coin. You will want to use a soft-bristled brush, one that has been well worn in as well as a soft cloth. There are countless things that it can be used for, cleaning old coins and even jewelry among them. Vinegar and salt. Then, rub a small amount of vegetable oil onto each side of the coin to loosen stubborn dirt. Ketchup is composed of vinegar, salt, and tomatoes. Anyone can use this simple technique. If it's a very thin coin, don't clean it as the vinegar can scorch through it. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. To clean softer or more valuable coins, your best bet is to lightly rinse them in warm water, then pat them dry with a microfiber cloth. There is something so magical and intriguing about looking through coins from the past. Rinse the baking soda off with fresh water. Use distilled water because chemicals in tap water may cause discoloration. Monitor coins carefully and rinse them with clean water as soon as possible. For preservation purposes, most collectors recommend against treating collectible coins. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Drop your coins into the mixture and let them sit for about 5 minutes. This works well because the dish soap will loosen dirt and grim, and gently lift it from the surface of the metal object. There is no way to clean a coin without damaging its collectible value, even wiping with a cloth causes scratches that reduce the value in the eyes of professional collectors. You may want to try using some non-abrasive cleaners (like vinegar) if youre worried about removing any patina on your coinand always keep in mind that these cleaners are only meant as a starting point! The safest way to clean a coin is to send it a professional. Put your solution and a small bit of sand into a watertight jar. My dad has collected coins my entire life. Clean pennies with Vinegar and Salt NurdRage 664K views 10 years ago How to CLEAN coins HardCoreCopper 43K views 1 year ago Coin Collecting : How Do I Clean Dirty Coins?. Looking to achieve that bright, orange-copper color? For others, coins can be collected throughout the years, some of which become quite valuable. There are a variety of cleaning methods for wheat pennies. AspenCleans glass cleaner was voted Parents Green Pick 2020 by readers of the Parents magazine. There are coins worth thousands upon thousands of dollars, all contingent on the condition of the coin. So, in this article, Im going to explain to you exactly how to clean wheat pennies safely and effectively! Thats not necessarily to say the material so much as the purpose of the coin. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Scrub low-value coins with baking soda and vinegar, lemon juice and salt, or ketchup to break apart tarnish. Ultrasonic cleaners work by microcavitation. For a safer way to remove stubborn debris and make a coin shine, rub it gently with a little bit of vegetable oil. Signs of cleaning can be evident in many ways and often affect the value of the coin. Take them out, setting them on the cloth. Your email address will not be published. Overall, cleaning a copper penny is not that difficult most of the time, and any of the methods listed above will be sure to get the job done right. 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