The best method for achieving that is with salt and vinegar. Keep in mind that adding more salt to the solution makes it stronger. Remove the coins and dump out the lemon solution, and then pour the olive oil and one teaspoon of lemon juice into the container. How to Clean Copper Coins in Seconds: 4 Steps (with Pictures) - WikiHow Copper coins often turn a muddled brown color, and these marks can be cleaned off with salt and a mild acid like white vinegar. Stir until the salt dissolves. If there are still some stubborn stains on your pennies after rinsing them with water, try using baking soda next time instead; this should help get rid of those stainsand if not then maybe some hand lotion would help soften up those stubborn spots too! There are also various commercial cleaners available in the market to clean your pennies, but they may prove a bit expensive if you have lots of pennies to clean. To clean your copper coins, start by adding some vinegar or orange juice to a small bowl, and stirring in 1 teaspoon of salt. How do you clean old copper coins without damaging them? Next, mix baking soda and water into a thick paste and rub this paste over the penny using your fingers. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Start with a mixture of warm, soapy water when cleaning silver coins. Some other options include you can at least look into are: There are many rust removers you can use to clean your coins, and some of them can be very fast and effective, but that is just part of what you need. In addition to the vinegar and lemon juice, ketchup can also be used to clean copper pennies. 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. Vinegar and salt. Remember, you dont want to use anything that has abrasive qualities to them because they can scratch the coins. But if you do really want to get stuck in and have a go at cleaning some coins, we recommend that you experiment on some modern loose change instead. With this simple technique, anyone can get their penny as clean as it once was. [1] Start working on the coins that need the least amount of work. For tips on how to shine your coins with baking soda, read on! If you have a collection of copper pennies, chances are that theyre not looking their best. Sell them the way they are (or as is) and you will surely gain more money from your pennieswell, assuming they are actually worth something, of course. Use distilled water because chemicals in tap water may cause discoloration. How to Clean Coins - Teachpedia Baking soda and vinegar have proven to be one of the most effective ways to clean tarnished coins. ", "It is so amazing, the power of baking soda and vinegar.". Signs of cleaning can be evident in many ways and often affect the value of the coin. When a coin is submitted to be examined by the experts at PCGS, signs of cleaning can be evident in many ways. Fill the bowl with enough lemon juice to cover the quarter. Retrieve the coins from the vinegar and apply a few teaspoons of baking soda to each coin. After WWII, the original metal composition was reinstituted and reigned until the wheat penny retired. Use a stronger acid like ketchup or cola to strip away the green patina that forms when copper is exposed to salt and water. Avoid rubbing where possible as they can scratch and damage the coins surface. Be gentle: A penny is a delicate coin and you dont want to scratch it up in the process of cleaning it. If you plan on cleaning off a lot of coins at once, use a bigger bowl and add more vinegar as needed. To clean a copper penny, squeeze out a small amount of tomato ketchup onto the face and back of the coin. The key is to ensure that you dont use anything super abrasive, especially on older coins. To clean using this method, place your coins in a small plastic container, fill with enough hydrogen peroxide to cover, and soak for 24 hours. Coins / February 17, 2021 by Walt / Leave a Comment. These became known as Lincon wheat pennies. [1] 2 Add enough acetic acid (vinegar, white vinegar is most recommended) to moisten the salt into a paste. Be extremely gentle! So there is no need for you to buy harsh bleaching agents, because you want to clean corroded pennies, these simple ones can help you achieve your goals if you use them properly. Vinegar will remove any oxides formed on the coin surface. It is always at the discretion of the buyer whether the minute scratches and damaged caused by cleaning is an issue. Ketchup is also effective at cleaning copper jewelry, so keep this tip in mind next time you need an emergency polish job for your favorite necklace or bracelet! Required fields are marked *. CoinsForSale.com charges a 5 percent selling fee and no listing fee. Use household cleaners: Basic household cleaners like baking soda, vinegar and salt will work wonders for your copper pennies! Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 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. Pennis that were made prior to 1982 had more copper in them, which can lead to a more intense reaction chemically while cleaning. If you had a rare coin you had cleaned too harshly, and wanted to have it valued, it would reduce the coins value. This happens because the vinegar and salt dissolves the copper oxide layer of the penny. Coins made of nickel and silver will be easily cleaned; however, coins made out of copper will be harder to clean as copper reacts to more materials than other metals. This, Read More How to Clean Corroded Pennies Safely and EffectivelyContinue, If youve ever discovered gold jewelry in the woods or beach before, then you likely stumbled upon jewelry that was quite dirty and in need, Read More How to Clean Gold Jewelry With Vinegar Without Any DamageContinue, ABOUT|AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE|PRIVACY POLICY|TERMS OF USE. Mix cup vinegar with 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl that is non-metallic. How To Clean Old Copper Coins Without Damaging Them An easy way to clean copper pennies and coins to remove the build-up of grime is with soapy water and a little elbow grease. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. EBay, one of the most popular online auction sites, charges a 10 percent fee plus listing fees. This service does not come with a grading protection guarantee. These cookies do not store any personal information. Copper coins often turn a muddled brown color, and these marks can be cleaned off with salt and a mild acid like white vinegar. You can use your finger or an exceptionally fine brush to remove any stuck-on dirt. I hope you enjoyed this article and have learned more about how to clean wheat pennies! For others, coins can be collected throughout the years, some of which become quite valuable. At this stage, the corrosion on the pennies mustve reacted with the lemon and salt solution, so it is time for you to start removing them from the container. How to Clean Copper Naturally So It Looks Brand-New - Real Simple For coins that are not terribly valuable, you can clean them yourself with little to no worry. You can also use baking soda and salt to clean your pennies. It may take a couple of applications, so dont be afraid to try this method a few times to get out those tough stains. Since we are also concerned about safety, it is important for you to know that the acidic substances that these rust removers contain could be harmful to your skin, so you should protect yourself with gloves and a mask when using them. Pull the coins out of the liquid and gently wipe them with a paper towel to break apart the tarnish and dark spots. When they are sufficiently clean, lay them out on a soft cloth, dabbing them dry with gentle pressure. Rinse off any excess liquid with water and set aside to dry. It is very gentle and can help reveal details on the coin surface you may not be able to see. Fill up two plastic containers with distilled water and a tablespoon of mild hand soap. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. This should be enough to get them clean. If youve ever discovered gold jewelry in the woods or beach before, then you likely stumbled upon jewelry that was quite dirty and in need, Read More How to Clean Gold Jewelry With Vinegar Without Any DamageContinue, Wheat pennies are a relatively common find when metal detecting. Drop the pennies into the mixture for about 5 minutes. In many cases, cleaning a coin can lower the value of the coin as a collectors item. What are ultrasonic cleaners when it comes to cleaning copper coins? Vinegar and salt are the best methods of cleaning your pennies. You do not want to leave behind any residue that may further degrade the pennys condition! Do I need to add liquid to it? Hold the coins under a little bit of running water to ensure all of the cleaning solution rinses off. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Continue to slowly add water to the baking soda until it takes on the consistency of paste. Microwaving 2 cups of water for 2-3 minutes should suffice and avoid boiling water. 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. If the quarter is clean, rinse it off with distilled water. Numismatists and some coin collector organizations may offer these services. After brushing each penny, rinse with clean water and dry, it should be looking good as new by now. If you want to go with something that is both inexpensive and likely already in your home, olive oil is the right choice. If you want to use tartaric acid on your pennies, all you have to do is dissolve some crystals of it in warm water. Garret ACE 250 Review Remove tough tarnish on coins by soaking them in hydrogen peroxide or . How to Clean a Copper Penny:10 Tips and Advices - Metal Hunting Soak coins in warm water mixed with liquid dish detergent to clean off light dirt and grime. Seatown Cleaners offers standard, deep, and move-in/out cleaning services using green products and cleaning techniques. 290K views 3 years ago In this video you will find a simple but very effective method of cleaning old coins. 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. This is a simple, inexpensive method that works well on pennies that arent too tarnished. This way, you should not have to worry about cleaning them on a regular basis. Last Updated: October 27, 2022 I know it sounds strange, but stay with me. Pennies get dull and dirty because the copper in the pennies reacts with oxygen in the air to form copper oxide. Apply the paste with a microfiber cloth and rinse it off with water. Once theyve soaked enough, take them out and rinse them with clear water until all traces of acid are gone from their surfaces; finally dry them off with a paper towel before putting them back into circulation (or storing them).