New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

There has been some discussion about coin cleaning lately. I cleaned a few coins yesterday using advice from a site that Tonz had posted:

Coin Cleaning Secrets of the Ancients

Having always been told that cleaning coins is a sin, I was quite pleased with the results. Using ammonia does not really clean the coins to a blinding shine, it just seems to remove the stains and lighten them up a bit. Really crusty coins I alternated between ammonia and lemon juice. I am attaching a few photos of coins that were in a hideous state before cleaning. The cleaned coins do have some blisters or pits that I assume were a result of the corrosion and the cleaning simply revealed the damage. To me this is still an amazing improvement.

I should have taken some before pictures, but both these coins were really ugly, like beach ugly before I started. Coins that are just a bit stained are what seems to be the best, it removes the stain but leaves them looking like an old coin.

They look great Robert and I must admit that I am impressed. I do remember many years ago in certain areas finding silver coins with what appeared to be small bubbles and decided that it was part of a process of the silver becoming sort of delaminated for lack of a better term form the other alloys. I have a funny idea that the more pure the silver the less likely to happen because, if my memory serves me correctly it didnt seem to happen to any of the English coins I found or certainly not to the same degree as the New Zealand silver coins..

Here are a few more pictures of cleaned coins.

The penny was so crusty when I started I could not tell if it was British or New Zealand. I am still working at it but I think it is pretty obvious that it is so far gone that it is now just junk.

The half penny was in pretty good shape (besides the obvious slice) and had a nice green patina. Cleaning it has made it far worse as far as I am concerned.

The other coins were in various states of stain, crust, and dirtiness, but I think they came out looking rather well. They still have a bit of darker colour around the letters for example and I don’t see how anyone could ever tell that they had been cleaned. The exception being the one three pence where I can see tiny black specks that are residual crust I didn’t get off. The half crown came out very clean but it does not have a shine to it so again it does not look cleaned to me.

I know this will show who does the shopping in my house, but where would I find ammonia ? I know that it is in cleaners but where and which is the best? cheers

cheers for that :)

Don't the look great all nice and clean. While some coin collectors may call what you have done is sacrilege, people like me, and probable most of you gents, like to see what a coinn looks like after it's had a bit of TLC.

Great job and I'll pop down to the supermarket. I'll balance my shopping though, some household cleaner and some beer. Hate for people to think I'm going soft.

Poor Mans James Bond! Had a copy of that when I was a teenager, got me into all sorts of trouble.

Having the second names of Scrooge and Midas actually infers that I prefer people to donate generously to a worthy cause but would love them in my collection - kind offer accepted and all donations acknowledged!

Weather supposed to be chronic this weekend and the weekend after I am heading to South Canterbury to a meeting but after that keep in touch and you and Robert come on down so we can head for the tall timber...well tall tussocks actually!

Seriously though some of Roberts finds do appear to be well worthy of collecting. Although I sold 95% of my silver coin finds back when Hunts sent the price up to 20 times face value in the 80s I did keep some of the better ones and the very best half crown I own is an early 1980s detector find so they are out there.

Edited by user Thursday, 3 November 2011 9:52:20 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

ya he has some nice ones...i only have 1 or 2 in almost uncirculated condition..lol....Nice job robert