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How to Clean Ancient Silver Coins

Ancient silver coins will get dirty over time. Even if you have the coins stored correctly, tarnish will still form. If you plan on keeping the ancient silver coins for yourself, consider cleaning them to remove dirt and tarnish. If you want to sell the coins or if you know they are valuable, it may be wise to leave them alone. Many dealers and buyers of silver coins want them in the original condition. If you want to clean your ancient silver coins, use the right products and methods to preserve the integrity of the coin.

Things You'll Need

Water
Toothbrush
Baking soda
Bowl
Distilled water
Soft towel
Toothpick
Cup
Lemon juice

Instructions

- 1
  Wet the coin with distilled water. Dip a wet toothbrush into some baking soda and lightly scrub the coin until the dirt and tarnish are gone. Rinse with distilled water and lay it on a soft towel to air-dry. This will remove any loose dust and dirt from the coin, but further cleaning may still be necessary.
- 2
  Soak the coin for two days in a bowl of distilled water. Remove it from the bowl, brush it lightly with a clean toothbrush, and then soak it for two more days. Continue this process of soaking for two days, brushing the coin, and soaking again until no more dirt or tarnish appears to be coming off. Air-dry the coins on a soft towel.
- 3
  Soak a toothpick for an hour in a cup with two parts lemon juice and one part water. Use the toothpick to remove any remaining dirt and tarnish from the coin.
- 4
  Rinse the coin with distilled water, then soak in a bowl of distilled water for three weeks to fully remove any acid from the lemon juice. Change the bowl of water at least every three days. Air-dry the coin after soaking.

Coin Collecting