Summer Series #5: Should You Clean Your Coins or Not? Better Think Twice If You Do.

You're excited you just dug up some really old coins. Some of these really old coins have been underground for several years. Some of them haven't see n the light of day in over 100 years! They are dirty and discolored but what should you do? Should you clean them or not? This is one question that gets asked a lot by us treasure hunters and there are many opinions out there. I'm here to tell you that I've made some big mistakes over the years by experimenting with different cleaning products, processes, techniques etc. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I've made so here are 5 lessons I've learned over the past several years to help you determine for yourself whether to clean your coins or not.

Lesson 1: WARNING! There is no turning back.

Once you start down the road of cleaning a rare silver or copper coin there is no going back. I can't stress this enough. You can not undo the damage you could cause so just keep that mind. If you ruin a coin its ruined forever. Have I ruined coins? Yes which is why I'm sharing this post with you. Avoid the same mistakes I've made. Think really hard about what you are about to do before you go ahead and do it. Did I ruin anything really valuable? No, not really so I can live with myself but you may have just found a coin off your bucket list. Do you really want to ruin it? Think really hard before your embark down the path of no return.

Lesson 2: Old copper coins and that beautiful green patina.

If you have ever dug up a large cent, colonial copper, a KG, indian head, 2 cent piece, or even brass buttons, you have probably experienced a heart pounding moment when you see that green patina exposed for the first time in probably over a century. There is no better feeling especially when there is enough detail to make out what kind of coin it is and the year it was minted. But the worst feeling is when you decide to clean the coin and all the detail and green patina washes away in an instant. Thats a real downer for sure so avoid using water, soap, and a "wet" toothbrush. The water and soap will eat away the patina and the toothbrush will brush off every last bit of the patina. Water, soap, and a "wet" toothbrush is the worst thing you could use to clean one of those coins. Instead, use a "dry" toothbrush and a toothpick. Wait for the dirt and mud to dry completely. Then pick away at the dirt slowly and use the dry soft toothbrush to brush away the loose dirt. By doing this, you will avoid the risk of removing the patina and the detail should remain intact. From my person trials and errors, I have found this method to be best technique to preserve your coins and buttons.

Lesson 3: Use vinegar only on rare occasions.

I'll admit it. I used to use vinegar on everything. However, the only time I use vinegar now to is if I find a coin that has been in the water for a long time and there is little to no hope of getting any detail off of the coin. Soaking it in vinegar for a couple of days will help bring back some detail but you still run the risk of removing too much and rending the coin unrecognizable. Some folks will argue this point but I've had too many bad experiences with vinegar and I just don't use it that much on coins anymore. I do however, still use vinegar on some of my relics to loosen up the rust prior to electrolysis.

Lesson 3: Silver coins and warm water.

Silver coins are pretty easy to clean unless you find them in the water. My best advice is to try not to rub the coins especially if you have dirt and mud caked on the coin itself. If you do, you'll run the risk of scratching the coin and that's the last thing you want to happen. All I would do is run the coin under some warm water and that will do the trick 90% of the time. You can also add a little bit a mild soap with the water and that won't hurt the coin. But avoid rubbing the coin at all costs. I assume gold coins will clean up the same but I have never found a gold coin to clean but if I did, I would probably just use water.

Lesson 4: When to use a tumbler.

Only use a tumbler on your modern "clad" coins. Otherwise, you will hate yourself if you don't. I only use a tumbler when I want to take my coins to the CoinStar to cash them in to spend. CoinStar's love the coins after they have been through a tumbler. However, they don't love them when you dump them into the machine dirty. If you dump them in dirty, be ready to explain why you just dumped a bunch of dirt into the machine. Trust me, the machine will jam. Along time ago when I was young and dumb, I took my jars of coins to local CoinStar. A couple days prior, I did a very quick cleaning job on the coins, I had over $100 of clad to clean and that's a lot of coins to clean by hand. I obviously didn't do a good enough job because after the first $10 was counted, the machine locked up and the local grocery store manager was not thrilled with me to say the least. I did get my money though! A tumbler will do an excellent job of getting your coins ready to be returned to circulation. But don't run any of your older coins that you value or else all of the detail that you thought you had on the coin will be gone and you can't go back (Lesson 1).

Lesson 5: Olive oil or the oil off your forehead?

That question might sound silly but its actually a good question. I see a lot people using olive oil on their coins. While I have used olive oil on many of my coins in the past with pretty good success, I tend to use it more on buttons these days. However with coins, I've learned that just rubbing your thumb across your forehead actually brings out just the right amount of detail from the coin. The natural oil from your skin is mild and works really well. Try it yourself and let me know what you think.

In summary, common sense really plays an important role in what you do to your coins and relics. Take the lessons I've learned before doing something you'll regret. Remember, the decision you make is something you can't undo. The coin you intend to submit to your favorite treasure hunting magazine or the coin you want to brag to your buddies about, or the coin you intend to plaster all over social media etc... could be ruined in an instant! Let me know what you think or share some of your good or bad techniques in a comment. Good luck and happy hunting. If you like what I'm doing here on Steemit and also DTube please follow me @mentalmetal314. Thank you.

Check out my other Summer Series of posts below:

• Series #4 The Truth About Metal Detecting
• Series #3 Paid Hunts Are They Worth it?
• Series #2 How To Get Permission
• Series #1 Treasure Hunting Water Tips

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