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Dripping Process for Coin Cleaning

Silver is a reactive metal, so once shiny and lustrous silver coins can tarnish and corrode, dulling the shine. Because silver is highly reactive to its environment, exposure to air and water can cause a chemical reaction that can modify silver's appearance and darken it. Dipping is a gentle way to remove accumulated grime from a coin's surface.

Things You'll Need

Silver dip
Warm distilled water
Paper towel
Latex gloves

Instructions

- 1
  Rinse the coin in distilled water. Swish the coin in distilled water to remove all dust and loose grime from the surface. Let the coin sit on a paper towel for several moments to dry.
- 2
  Using gloves, hold the coin by its edge and place the coin in the silver dip. Do this for two to five seconds, looking at the coin to monitor its progress, then move your grip to allow the dip to fully penetrate all of the rims, then rinse in the distilled water.
  
  Silver dip made for dipping coins is available from several online retailers, such as Wizard Coin Supply.
- 3
  Repeat if necessary. Silver dip works by removing the microscopic top layer of surface, so each time you dip a coin, you remove some of the grime and some of the underlying silver. Repeat cautiously and, if necessary, dilute the dip with distilled water. Let the coin air-dry by placing it on a paper towel, flipping it if necessary.

Coin Collecting