Switched from scrubbing coins with vinegar to letting them soak in distilled water for 2 weeks... my 1800s large cent came out cleaner than any of the ones I ruined before

2 comments

2 Comments

Oh man, I felt this one in my soul! I've got a tupperware container somewhere that I call the "coin graveyard" because I've tossed so many pennies in there that came out looking worse than when they went in. Maybe I should just accept that my coins will never be museum-grade and call my failed experiments "character building." Still, glad your large cent turned out okay - mine usually end up looking like I dug them out of a campfire.

marymorgan1d ago

Oh wait, careful with that! Soaking in plain distilled water for that long can actually cause problems with old copper coins. The water isn't really cleaning anything, it's just letting loose dirt fall off. But if your coin has any bronze disease or active corrosion, the water can make it worse by keeping that chemical reaction going. I ruined a nice 1829 matron head that way once. The distilled water soak made the green spots spread way bigger over two weeks. For 1800s large cents, a quick rinse with acetone then pat dry works way better if you just want to knock off loose crud.