Need help, question to copper penny experts

Canadian hunter

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Dec 19, 2011
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Soak them in olive oil for a week and try and see if that junk can be rubbed off. I do this for some old dug coins. If there is something very stubborn on there I will rub some baking soda on them while they are still oily so there is some lubrication to keep the baking soda from taking too much meat off.
 

Thanks for advice OtraVez, I'll try this and see if that copper cuprous oxidation.
 

olive oil, soak a week, and use old toothbrush.
 

Thanks for info guys. Does it has to be olive oil, or I can use sunflower or grape oil?
 

I've used ketchup on us common date copper coins to polish them. Same pricniple as soaking them in vinegar and salt, but it's a little less harsh than dunking it right into pure vinegar. I think the acidity from the tomatoes helps as well. I don't think it hurts the value of the coins, but I am not entirely sure.
 

Before trying that stuff, try using acetone (nail polish remover). It is a solvent, so it will not harm the coin. They do a good job of getting verdigris off

HH
-GC
 

I poured the 1949 and 1957 in olive oil. After 2 hours they started to turn red-brown. Is it normal? I tried slight scratching with a toothbrush on them, but the greenish stuff did not come off easily. So I guess, I'll let the soak overnight and will see how they turn out to be in the morning.
As for value question, the 1949 and 1957 Wheat do not carry much of a value, so I testing on them. However the 1921 is pretty valuable to me and I don't want to ruin it or colourize it in a different hue.
 

These are some good suggestions, but remember to only clean your common coins. Cleaning any valuable coin will instantly drop it's value by 50% or (sometimes much) more. Collectors are VERY picky about buying only original coins. An ugly original coin is always better than a shiny cleaned coin to a collector.
 

Then I will just leave 1921 as it is. The ugly green stuff on it is its own certificate of authenticity :laughing7:

But for the other 2 I will observe how the experiment will go and decide how to deal with the situation. Thanks for info, baddbluff.
 

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