How to clean wheats?

[coinnut]

Have you soaked some of your worst coppers just to see if bring out more detail? Handyman (Kevin) says it takes corrosion off, not just dirt...

Yea, for my coppers it would take forever. It's a slow process and yes, it will continue to take off the dirt and green, but I ain't that patient. I have had them in there for 6 mos and still didn't get all that green off of them. But you will not like what is under that green lol Sometimes the green hides the pits that are under there. It is worth a try on the different types of conditions your coins are in, (dirt, green, red colors, etc...) They will all clean differently.

[tanacat]

Oh I'll end up tossing them in w/my copper pennies... worth about 2 cents a piece lol
I'm experimenting in hopes of doing best for a wheat with a keydate Have you found any/many btw? Ever sold anything? Or is that too personal a question

[coinnut]

I'm experimenting in hopes of doing best for a wheat with a keydate Have you found any/many btw? Ever sold anything? Or is that too personal a question

Nothing is too personal for millions of people to see lol I'll just make it up No key dates for me yet. Nothing like a 1909 S VDB or a 1916D Merc. Most of my coins are older so I get a lot of oddball overdates but not really considered rare. I never sell anything I find. Might give some away, but I don't sell it. Don't know why though I hope when you get a key date coin, it will just be dirt on it and you can rinse it clean lol

[BOWSER]

i don't plan on selling any coins i find ,but i do like to see the dates for history sake,any metal i find i try to clean also. I use some stuff called Barkeepers Friend either with water as a paste or dry. I usually pay 2.00 a can

[RaZR]

I had some coins that were so crud covered that i knew that i couldn't ruin them. They weren't going to be worth much even if they were rare dates. These were pennies that were green or covered with growths of corrosion. Those got put into the rock tumbler with some aquarium stones water and dishsoap. After tumbling overnight i found one was a wheat. But that was about all you could tell about it. Almost all the details were corroded away. But at least it was shiney! I have also tried the heated peroxide heated in a plastic bottle cap and dropping the penny in. That worked on a better penny i had. But i don't worry too much about hurting the value of wheat pennies by tumbling them. If it's not a rare one.

[giant056]

I usually use hot peroxide to clean mine, sometimes they really look nice as long as the ground hasn't corroded them real bad.

[Nitro 54]

Nice wheat Larry thumbsup01

[Carver]

I use peroxide on all my Indians too,,,,,unless I find that 1877 model,,,,then I'm not touching it with anything <: <: <: <:

[giant056]

I use peroxide on all my Indians too,,,,,unless I find that 1877 model,,,,then I'm not touching it with anything <: <: <: <:

This is my most primo shaped Indian this year, I used hot peroxide, soap and water on it.
If they have bronze disease on them you're better off using olive oil I think.

[coinnut]

Nice 1909 VDB. But it seems that hot peroxide took the S right off of it rofl Great Indian too. Soil condition is what really helps them out. Some people are just blessed with good soil and drainage I'm not one of them lol

[angellionel]

That wheat cent is in excellent condition, as is the Indian Head cent. Very nice! thumbsup01

[Toadman]

Way cool section !!!

[Carver]

Way cool section !!!

thumbsup01 thumbsup01 thumbsup01 thumbsup01

[tanacat]

Nice 1909 VDB. But it seems that hot peroxide took the S right off of it rofl

rofl rofl rofl Good one George thumbsup01

This is my most primo shaped Indian this year, I used hot peroxide, soap and water on it.
If they have bronze disease on them you're better off using olive oil I think.

I have an 1864 bronze I might clean... I'll post a pic of it later and ask your advice... it might crumble, it's crumbly on the edges... is that the 'bronze disease'? Maybe I should use oil instead if that's the case. It's the first IH I found and special I gently washed with dishwashing liquid and put in coin sleeve.

[Judy]

That sure is one heck of a beauty Lar!!!!!!

I gently washed with dishwashing liquid and put in coin sleeve.

I saw on a tv show regarding coin collecting/collectors and from that talked to a few experts on this coin sleeve issue....after cleaning....

Some of the general consensus is, if a coin has any degree of disease or molds, placing in sleeves can accelerate the process even faster even after cleaning. Sometimes just lightly wrapping in acid free tissue is better.

Food for thought...I know I took out a few of my treasures after talking to these folks.

[tanacat]

Some of the general consensus is, if a coin has any degree of disease or molds, placing in sleeves can accelerate the process even faster even after cleaning. Sometimes just lightly wrapping in acid free tissue is better.

Thanks for the advice- I'm pretty new at coin collecting. Arrowhead hunting is my thing

So what is this bronze disease? I've never heard of any coin having disease or molds...

[coinnut]

Thanks for the advice- I'm pretty new at coin collecting. Arrowhead hunting is my thing

So what is this bronze disease? I've never heard of any coin having disease or molds...

Chlorides (found in the ground) and moisture will continuously dissolve (corrode) the bronze until it is just green powder. Chlorides need to be neutralized for the disease to stop.

[tanacat]

Chlorides (found in the ground) and moisture will continuously dissolve (corrode) the bronze until it is just green powder. Chlorides need to be neutralized for the disease to stop.

... so soak it in something? Or is wrapping in acid free tissue sufficient to neutralize?

[coinnut]

... so soak it in something? Or is wrapping in acid free tissue sufficient to neutralize?

You probably don't have bronze disease, but it would be best to Google it and see more info on it. If you do have it, reverse electrolysis would do the trick (at least it gets rid of chlorides in iron) and then you would have to seal it up (like microcrystaline wax). But chances are you just have the other forms of corrosion, copper alloys go through. It's a list of a bunch of different corrosions that a bronze coin can go through and it's mostly from what is in contact with it in the soil. Putting it in oil would be OK. A 2x2 is ok too. When in doubt...do nothing with it but oil it and put it away.

[cnr_dogs]

I tumble all of mine not gonna ever sell em but want em to look nice for me.