how to clean copper pennies without damaging them

Ensure you rinse all the vinegar off the coin once it is cleaned. Wait about five minutes and check your pennies. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. They can clean your coin if it has PVC residue, dirt, debris, adhesive, tape reside, copper spots on gold, or toning issues. 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. That means a lot more options for getting them clean enough to use again. This article has been viewed 60,522 times. Apmex is a well-known auction site for coins. Hydrogen peroxide can prove effective in removing various materials, including organic material. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Let them air dry or wipe them with a soft, microfiber cloth. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. There are many methods you can use at home to clean your wheat pennies, and other coins you have found, safely and carefully. Acids wear away copper, so exposing a coin to vinegar and other products can cause permanent damage. You just have to put a thin but uniform layer of sauce on the penny and then rinse it off with water after some time. 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. With over 17 years of experience, Alicia specializes in creating a healthier, green alternative to chemical-based cleaning products and services. I like to use distilled water to clean coins if I decide to clean them. Mix your hand soap in with the water, creating a soapy mixture. How do you clean old coins without damaging them? Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Just remember to rinse the pennies thoroughly after all cleaning methods. It only requires rubbing the penny with a pencil eraser. ", "It is so amazing, the power of baking soda and vinegar.". Try not to rub the coin too much with your fingers or the dirt, silt, and other residue on the surface can damage the coin. Collectors actively look for the tiniest flaws in pennies and they have all the necessary tools to find those flaws. Can I use isopropyl alcohol to clean the coins? Pennies are normally made of copper, which is a shiny, bright metal, and more recently Zinc. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. These cookies do not store any personal information. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. In fact, it would probably be extremely wise to do so, at least from a sanitary perspective. If they look clean enough, use a soft cloth to dry them. Using a soft cloth, apply your chosen cleaner to the coin and allow it to soak in for five minutes. And if you're unsure of how to properly clean a coin and you want a second opinion, get in contact with a coin expert before trying any of the following methods. This way, you should not have to worry about cleaning them on a regular basis. While you're grasping the coin firmly by its edges, use a clean toothbrush to lightly scrub the flat surfaces of the coin. The Minelab Equinox 800 is another of my favorite metal detectors. You should also rub the coin gently to remove debris, and rinse it under the tap to wash off the oil. Make sure to use small, circular motions. Soak the coins for 12 hours. This is what gives some pennies their odd bluish hue. Wheat pennies were made of different metals during different years depending on the need for metals. Keep your coins in a stable, cool, dry location. If you have questions, always seek the help of a professional coin cleaner and coin grading service. After applying, give it a couple of minutes and then rinse using distilled water. If you do have hard water or highly acidic water, try using distilled water. It has 3 search coil options, all are waterproof. Distilled water is highly recommended as tap water since it contains chlorine that works perfectly in removing the unwanted substances. Alicia Sokolowski is a Green Cleaning Specialist and the President and co-CEO of AspenClean, a green cleaning company in Vancouver, British Columbia. This method and those that follow are going to be for everyday coins. It may take a couple of applications, so dont be afraid to try this method a few times to get out those tough stains. Your best bet is to keep them separate so they are not rubbing against eachother. There are many metal detectors that are specifically for coin shooting, while others are all-purpose metal detectors. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). To prevent grime buildup, it is imperative that collectible coins be stored in a safe, secure, airtight place. From there, use your brush to gently get the grime off of the coins before putting them back into the water again. Heat safe container. The composition of the coin, the condition of the coin, and the year of the coin all affect its value. Soak them in vinegar or ketchup: If youve ever used ketchup on your penny, then you know that it can clean it up pretty quicklyand with very little effort on your part at all! Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Make a paste: Use a lemon juice/salt or vinegar/salt paste and a sponge to scrub the copper. Next, mix baking soda and water into a thick paste and rub this paste over the penny using your fingers. Ketchup contains acid that can help remove copper stains. In 1909, a new design featuring President Abraham Lincon was introduced. It is easy to just use any cleaning agent for this, but you need to understand that there are many cleaning materials that will potentially damage the penniesand even hurt your skin in the process. Wet the coin with water and roll in baking soda. That would be true if your plan was to only use vinegar to clean a corroded penny. Looking to achieve that bright, orange-copper color? Baking soda and vinegar have proven to be one of the most effective ways to clean tarnished coins. They include: Fresh lemon juice Salt White vinegar A toothbrush Baking soda A small container A paper towel. This is a simple, inexpensive method that works well on pennies that arent too tarnished. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. CoinsForSale.com charges a 5 percent selling fee and no listing fee. You may even want to take the same steps you learned from here to help clean other dirty pennies that you come across in the future. 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! What is the fastest way to clean copper coins? 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. Soak your quarters in lemon juice. Your fingers contain oils, acids, and minuscule pieces of grit that will adhere to the surface of the coins and cause them to discolor or suffer microscopic scratching. If you decide to clean your wheat pennies, make sure you start with the least invasive cleaning method first. Wearing gloves will help protect your skin from the cleaning solution. Make sure they are not directly on top of each other. % of people told us that this article helped them. There will be times when you think your coin is clean, only to discover later that its still dirty. The key is to first know what kind of coin you have. In your small container, measure in a cup of fresh lemon juice (or white vinegar) and add one tablespoon of salt to it. Remove tough tarnish on coins by soaking them in hydrogen peroxide or . With this simple technique, anyone can get their penny as clean as it once was. 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. Your email address will not be published. To clean a copper penny, squeeze out a small amount of tomato ketchup onto the face and back of the coin. Well, the general rule is if you intend on selling your wheat pennies, you should not clean them. Shine the coins to make them look better. Just make sure that you gently apply the olive oil and you can help prevent tarnish over time. Clean at your . 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! Copper coins often turn a muddled brown color, and these marks can be cleaned off with salt and a mild acid like white vinegar. First, do not every use any type of jewelry cleaner or metal polish on coins. He has a hefty collection of wheat pennies that hes found with various techniques. Scrub low-value coins with baking soda and vinegar, lemon juice and salt, or ketchup to break apart tarnish. This means distilled water. Soak your penny in the vinegar for a minimum of 30 minutes. Let the coins sit in the mixture for about 10 or 15 minutes so that the soap can break down the grime. Get an appraisal before you clean themif you plan to sell them. Use a small plastic container full of hydrogen peroxide. You will not need to clean your coins repeatedly if you know the best way to clean pennies and how to preserve them properly. Ammonia works well for removing rust from copper pennies, but it can also damage the surface of the penny if not used properly. Any attempt at cleaning a coin can reduce its value. By using our site, you agree to our. Step 2 Add a teaspoon of salt to the bowl full of vinegar, and stir the mixture until the salt is completely dissolved. Clean copper coins in a vinegar and salt solution. One of the simplest ways to clean coins is by using distilled water and a soft towel. Dry the coins with a microfiber cloth to give them that extra shine! Drop the pennies into the mixture for about 5 minutes. Some of these have relatively sound science behind them, but they should be used at your own risk. Rinse your pennies well with water; otherwise, if any of these cleaning agents remain on the coin, the coin will turn blue-green. After a good shake, take the coins out and rinse them off. The method of cleaning depends on the type of coin. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin.

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how to clean copper pennies without damaging them