I Cleaned My Nickel With Salt & Vinegar: How Can I Make It Shine?

Coin collecting is a popular pastime that many people enjoy. Coins are collected for many reasons: some people collect in hopes that a coin will rise in value, while others collect to display their favorite coins. If you collect to display coins, you may wish to polish them using a solution of salt and vinegar. A polished coin will generally lose most of its collectible value, so only do this with coins you don't plan on selling later on. Once you clean a coin, you can try polishing it.

Things You'll Need

• Table Salt
• Vinegar
• Waterproof box with lid
• Nickels

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Fill your waterproof box with coins so it is about three-quarters full.

   • 2

     Pour vinegar into the box until the liquid level reaches just past the height of the coins.

   • 3

     Add a tablespoon of salt to the liquid.

   • 4

     Close the lid of the box.

   • 5

     Shake the box gently to agitate the solution. The salt will scrub the coins and the vinegar will dissolve deposits. Every few minutes, inspect the coins to check the progress. Eventually the solution will make the coins bright and shiny.