\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Removing the copper oxide by cleaning will give your penny a brand-new look. Required fields are marked *. Wearing gloves will help protect your skin from the cleaning solution. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Lemon juice is acidic and can cause damage to the skin if inhaled or spilled. One good option is the traditional 2 by 2 cardboard and mylar protective sheaths. If you don't have any vinegar on hand, a 1:1 ratio of water to acetone will produce the same effect. ", "It is so amazing, the power of baking soda and vinegar.". Mix in extra salt if you wish, but keep a close eye on the coins to avoid damaging them. That is because ketchup has vinegar in it, which is naturally acidic. You do not want to leave behind any residue that may further degrade the pennys condition! Have them professionally cleaned or sell them as is. Wet the coin with water and roll in baking soda. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. You can visit a local coin dealer if you have one nearby. Cleaning and polishing rare and old coins can devalue them. The Minelab Equinox 800 is another of my favorite metal detectors. Soak your pennies for five minutes in vinegar to dissolve any copper oxide left on them from handling before you start scrubbing them with toothpaste or soap. Keep in mind that this is more of an abrasive than even the sand method and can do serious damage without the proper care. Its best to wear rubber gloves when handling the ketchup and penny because they can both leave your hands stained red if you arent careful! Anyone can use this simple technique. But we recommend the vinegar or lemon juice approach because the materials are safe for your skin, overall quite very effective, creates little to no mess, and the risk of damaging the pennies is fairly low. For a stronger treatment, let the coins soak in oil for about a day, then scrub them with a soft toothbrush. Numismatists and some coin collector organizations may offer these services. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Soak your quarters in lemon juice. Keep in mind that adding more salt to the solution makes it stronger. Okay, so you have found some corroded pennies you want to clean and you have also gathered all the materials we listed above now its time for action. 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. Its found naturally in wine, and it works by breaking down the copper oxide coating on your pennies. Just make sure you keep the rubbing to a minimum. Wed love to hear from our readers! How do you clean badly tarnished copper coins? If necessary, a little bit of gentle soap can be used, with Ivory soap being the preferred brand. Finally, take the pennies out and rinse them off using distilled water. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. If you have a collection of copper pennies, chances are that theyre not looking their best. 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. If you happen to find one of these while metal detecting, do not attempt to clean them yourself! If they look clean enough, use a soft cloth to dry them. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. One of the main reasons for pennies becoming dirty is their continual circulation among people. This should be enough to get them clean. 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. Thanks. Rinse with freshwater and let air dry. Step 4 Now take out the pennies from that mixture, and wash them in water. Pennies have been around since the late 1700s in the United States. Abrasive cleaning, using a brush and an acid or alcohol solution, can leave the coin with hair lines and discrepancies in the metal that may only be seen under the right lighting and magnification. It is always at the discretion of the buyer whether the minute scratches and damaged caused by cleaning is an issue. This process only works in fluid. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Repeat this process as many times as necessary before allowing the coins to air dry. Clearing away the dirt now makes the coin look clearer once you add the oil to it. Ultrasonic cleaners work by microcavitation. Submerge the coins in a shallow bath of vinegar and let them soak for at least an hour. The best method for achieving that is with salt and vinegar. Heat safe container. Step 2: Sprinkle Baking Soda. Your email address will not be published. This is the important part: rinse with distilled, not tap water. 2. A great way to clean coins without doing damage to them is using a bath of salt and isopropyl alcohol. When a coin is submitted to be examined by the experts at PCGS, signs of cleaning can be evident in many ways. 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. Apmex is a well-known auction site for coins. If you use the right materials and carry out the process in a gentle manner, you can get the best of both worlds a set of cleaned shiny pennies that are also not damaged. But, if you are in doubt about how to clean your pennies, it is a good idea to leave them alone or consult a rare coin specialist before you begin the cleaning process. Enjoy! If it doesnt work for you, or somehow has hurt or damaged the penny in your eyes, stop using this method and find one you feel is a bit better. But if you simply want to clean the coins for non-commercial reasons (for example, you just want a bunch of cleaned pennies youve found to become part of your coin collection), the vinegar/lemon juice method will be good enough. Be extremely gentle! Modern Coin Mart is another site for selling coins. This article has been viewed 438,144 times. You can clean as many pennies you want with a single pencil eraser. When in doubt, leave the coin as you found it. Continue to slowly add water to the baking soda until it takes on the consistency of paste. We all enjoy the metal detecting finds we discover, and sometimes, even pennies fall into that category. Clean them off using distilled water and soap, using an old toothbrush to scour them clean. 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. This article may contain affiliate links, How to Paint Concrete [From Preparation to Sealing], 14 Ways to Open a Stuck Jar A Helpful Guide, A Guide to Wood Finishes That Are Food Safe, How to Significantly Improve Your Charcoal Grill, How to Remove Scratches From Stainless Steel, Pickled Cherry Tomatoes are Definitely a Thing You Need to Know About. Coins are part of most of our lives in one way or another. Make sure that you continue to stir in the salt until it dissolves, then place the pennies in so that they are not stacked in any way. From there, use your brush to gently get the grime off of the coins before putting them back into the water again. This website uses cookies to improve your experience, but you may opt out if you wish. Pennies are made from highly reactive metals like copper or copper alloys, so it is only normal for them to get corroded with time. 6 Can hydrogen peroxide be used to clean coins? Soak for 24 hours. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Copper, silver, nickel, and gold coins should strictly never be cleaned. Scrub low-value coins with baking soda and vinegar, lemon juice and salt, or ketchup to break apart tarnish. How to clean green corroded copper coins Mix cup vinegar with 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl that is non-metallic. Exposure to air leads to the formation of copper oxide. Gentle dish soap, like Dawn, is a good option for getting those wheat pennies shining again. 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. So our advice is that if you have found some valuable pennies (and have hopes of selling them for big money), it is actually safer to not clean them at all. If you dont have ketchup or another acid, try using a metal polish from a general store. Dish soap is also a good and very gentle way to clean coins. Stir the mixture to dissolve the salt. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The Nokta Makro CF77 Coin Finder is another great detector for coin shooting. Dont make the mistake of using something meant for regular coins on something older and more condition sensitive. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Even if they appear corroded and lacking shine or have a tarnish on them. This detector works very well in areas with high soil mineralization. Then dip your coins in the solution and let them soak for an hour or twothe longer they soak, the more oxidation will come off. Gold Nuggets Metal Detectors Even more importantly, understand how the condition impacts the value. Follow these steps to make your pennies completely clean: Step 1 Pour a small quantity of vinegar into a bowl. How To Clean Old Copper Pennies. So, thinking about cleaning them is not wrong, and they can be cleaned in several ways. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. If there are stubborn stains that dont seem like theyre budging, try scrubbing them vigorously with steel wool while theyre still wet; this should do wonders when trying to remove stubborn grime from coins like pennies made out of zinc (which often have dark spots). 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. Vinegar and salt. Ammonia works well for removing rust from copper pennies, but it can also damage the surface of the penny if not used properly. Grab some past with your thumb and forefinger, rubbing it gently onto both sides of the penny. References. The first step to cleaning a copper penny is soaking it in vinegar. A common ingredient in DIY eco-friendly cleaners, the acetic acid in white vinegar can help wear away the contamination on your coins. What do you see? As a general rule, make the paste at a ratio of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Next, mix baking soda and water into a thick paste and rub this paste over the penny using your fingers. 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. The application of taco sauce is another simple method of cleaning these pennies. 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. tb1234. If you have recently gone metal detecting and found several wheat pennies, what do you do with them now? Step 3: Add Tarnished Silver Coins. Last Updated: October 27, 2022 When a rare coin is found, it is often submitted to professionals, such as those at PCGS, or Professional Coin Grading Services. Be sure to check with a professional before cleaning a corroded coin that may have significant value. Under Water Metal Detectors Easy & Effective Ways to Clean Dirty Coins at Home, 10+ Ways to Clean Your Clipper Blades like a Pro Barber, https://www.howtocleanthings.com/how-to-clean-pennies/, https://sciencebob.com/clean-pennies-with-vinegar/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mMp2OYpCq8, https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-clean-copper-and-brass-with-ketchup-223741, Wie man Kupfermnzen sekundenschnell reinigt, Pulire le Monete di Rame in Pochi Secondi, . 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! If you decide to clean your wheat pennies, make sure you start with the least invasive cleaning method first. 5 How do you remove green corrosion from copper coins? This natural acid can be used to clean coins, pots and pans, and more. No scrubbing necessary at all. Instead, use a soft cloth and a gentle detergent (like dish soap) to clean it. Tartaric acid is a weak organic acid, which means its not as corrosive to your penny as other chemicals. Pull the coins out of the liquid and gently wipe them with a paper towel to break apart the tarnish and dark spots. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. After learning about how to clean a copper penny in this article, you should be able to do it well and keep your coin looking better for longer. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. In 1909, a new design featuring President Abraham Lincon was introduced. Using a soft cloth, apply your chosen cleaner to the coin and allow it to soak in for five minutes. One of the most recommended cleaning solutions for wheat pennies is white vinegar. Garret ACE 400 Review If pennies are collectibles, then cleaning them may reduce their value. He has a hefty collection of wheat pennies that hes found with various techniques. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. They can eliminate or reduce the effects of outside contaminates that have caused issues with your coins. It only requires rubbing the penny with a pencil eraser. Ensure you rinse all the vinegar off the coin once it is cleaned. When you handle your coins, wear cotton, Nitrile, or latex gloves, and handle the coin only by the edges. Rinse off any excess liquid with water and set aside to dry. It is okay to stop at the fourth step, but if some of the pennies dont get clean after you use the paper towel to clean them, you can put them back into the solution and soak for an extra five minutes. Ketchup contains acid that can help remove copper stains. As a result, the shiny bright metal develops an external layer having a dull green color. This detector features multiple search frequencies and has 2 different coin modes: one for foreign coins and one for U.S. coins. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Wait a few minutes, then check on the quarter. If you are keeping them for sentimental value or for your own personal collection, you may certainly clean them. Method 1 Removing Dark Spots with Vinegar Download Article 1 Pour 14 cup (59 mL) of white vinegar into a small bowl. This method is the best way to clean your pennies, and it will produce a very bright orangey-copper color on your pennies. 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. Make sure to use small, circular motions. Use a soft cloth to rub the paste on the surface of the copper. Wheat pennies are a relatively common find when metal detecting. If they're extra dirty or if you're cleaning a lot simultaneously, give them a few more minutes for good measure. One of the most important aspects of cleaning old coins is to know the value first. Hydrogen Peroxide Hydrogen peroxide can prove effective in removing various materials, including organic material. Caution: blood plasma counts as a fluid. If you have questions, always seek the help of a professional coin cleaner and coin grading service. Warm distilled water can be used to clean coins. You can use your finger or an exceptionally fine brush to remove any stuck-on dirt. Pennies get dull and dirty because the copper in the pennies reacts with oxygen in the air to form copper oxide. You can also clean pennies with a combination of salt and lemon juice or salt and orange juice. If you plan on cleaning off a lot of coins at once, use a bigger bowl and add more vinegar as needed. Where I live, we have acidic and hard water. Mix your hand soap in with the water, creating a soapy mixture.