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What Would I Use to Clean My Collectors Coins?

You can clean your more common collectors' coins safely with mild cleaning agents, but you should leave the more valuable coins alone, especially if you plan to sell them. Dealers and knowledgeable collectors often will not buy cleaned coins, which can suffer damage by cleaning. You should choose cleaning agents based on what your coins are made of. Consult a dealer if necessary, and use the least harmful methods that are effective.

Cleaning Gold and Silver Coins
- Use a solution of 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid soap to a pint of warm distilled water in a plastic container to soak gold coins for a few minutes. Then clean them with a soft toothbrush or cotton towel, taking care not to scratch anything. This is a good way to begin for any coins. Silver coins can also benefit from a soak in rubbing alcohol, vinegar, ammonia, lemon juice or an acetone-based nail polish remover. This will help free the coins of grime. Let them air-dry, or gently pat them with a clean soft cloth, according to MyCoinCollecting.com.
Cleaning Copper and Nickel Coins
- For copper coins, try soaking in olive or grape oil for up to a year. You can substitute denatured or isopropyl alcohol for the oil, or soak them in a commercial product, such as MS70, for a few weeks. Rinse them with baking soda and warm water, apply Dellar's Darkener or Blue Ribbon coin cleaner, let them dry and wipe them. Clean nickel coins as you would gold coins. If they are badly stained, try using a solution of three parts distilled water to one part ammonia.

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