Any way to safely clean coins?

[Grant A.]

I've been collecting U.S. quarters and other coins, and I was wondering, is there any way to safely clean the tarnish off of a nickel or quarter? Will that Kaboom or Oxyclean stuff work without taking the coating off or degrading the design?

Thanks :)

[skillllllz]

In my experience, soaking them for a few hours in a 3:1 mixture of real lemon juice and iodized salt will often do the trick. I've never had this harm any of my coins; try it at your own risk.

[t0p]

Try Coca Cola. That should shine 'em up.

[Mehall]

Try Coca Cola. That should shine 'em up.

+1

Coca Cola and a good rub with a non-abrasive cloth.

[kerry_s]

baking soda + vinegar

[KiwiNZ]

If you wish to keep them in " un-circulated condition" then I would suggest caution. Consult a professional.

It does not take much to wipe off a lot of value along with the tarnish if done incorrectly

[JohnFH]

I've been collecting U.S. quarters and other coins, and I was wondering, is there any way to safely clean the tarnish off of a nickel or quarter? Will that Kaboom or Oxyclean stuff work without taking the coating off or degrading the design?

Thanks :)

I don't think this is the forum to be asking advice about money laundering.

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

I have a few coins from the 1700's, and quite a few from the 1800's through 1900's. I use a paste made from baking soda and water. It is about as abrasive as the paste used to polish mirrors for telescopes. It will allow you to determine how much of the patina you remove by deciding how long you rub it on the coin. Sometimes a little patina actually brings out the design better than a shiny polished coin. For example: I have a 1942 over 1941 Mercury Dime, and the patina brings out the over-strike (Google on it to find out what the value is).

You don't want to use acids on coins (PH level of less than 7) as it can damage the coin. Water has a PH level of 7.0. Baking soda has a PH level of 8.2. Examples of PH level are:

Lead-acid battery PH level 0.5
Lemon juice PH level 2.4
Cola PH level 2.5
Vinegar PH level 2.9
Orange or apple juice PH level 3.5
Coffee PH level 5.0
Tea PH level 5.5
Pure Water PH level 7.0

Edit 1: For very old coins, like bronze ones that are 1000 years old, removing the patina (tarnish) will actually reduce the value of the coin.

Edit 2: About 50% of the responses so far are good if you are cleaning silverware; however, if you are a numismatist concerned about the collector's value of coins they are not good ideas.

[speedwell68]

Brown Sauce...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Sauce

[ubuntu-freak]

Try vinegar with brick dust mixed in, then dab a pure cotton cloth into it and rub the coins gently with the cloth.

[MikeTheC]

Eye of newt, toe of frog...

[mkvnmtr]

If you care anything about the value of said coins do nothing to them.

[schauerlich]

I don't think this is the forum to be asking advice about money laundering.

And the "Bad Pun of the Night" award goes TO.... JohnFH of Ubuntu Forums! Congratulations!

(don't worry, it's a good thing. :) )

[Darkhack]

I sometimes put coins in ketchup and they come out incredibly shiny. I wouldn't try it with collectors coins though.