Very newbie question 1 1

[Primus fan]

I love history, so it stands to reason why I love everything about coin collecting. I’m finding out there’s so much to learn!  Here’s my question: is it okay to clean or restore wheat pennies for a set? What is acceptable? I’d like to get the green stuff off. I heard it called patina?

[Mr.Bill347]

The green stuff is verdigras. Brings down value of cents. An acetone soak may pull that off.

[Just Bob]

Welcome to the forum.

Cleaning coins is generally regarded as a bad idea, since it changes the appearance of the coin, and makes it appear unnatural. So, the standard response, when someone asks about cleaning, is, "DON'T!" Forget all of the Youtube videos about soaking in vinegar or using a pencil eraser. All that will do is make your coins worth face value, or not much more.

There are, however, a few (mostly) safe methods that you can try. One is to soak your coins in distilled water. Another is to use a light oil, like mineral oil, to try to loosen any crud or corrosion. Be advised that what is under the crud or corrosion may not look much better than what was there before, but that is a chance you take with reactive metals like copper or silver. Another oil that is popular is olive oil. It is slightly acidic, however, and may have an effect of the color of copper coins. A soak in oil usually takes weeks to months, and I have left tokens soaking for over a year. You just have to check them periodically to see if the appearance is changing. And, I have found that it is best to soak coins individually. I discolored a token by soaking it with some Indian Head cents once, so I always separate them now. Acetone is good for flushing off PVC or other residue that a coin might have gotten from being stored improperly. It may not do as well for a verdigris problem as a long oil soak.

If you have any other questions, feel free to post them.

[JKK]

On 2/11/2022 at 1:59 AM, Primus fan said:

I love history, so it stands to reason why I love everything about coin collecting. I’m finding out there’s so much to learn!  Here’s my question: is it okay to clean or restore wheat pennies for a set? What is acceptable? I’d like to get the green stuff off. I heard it called patina?

Bob's right. Here's the key hurdle for you to get over: the idea that coins need to be shiny in order to be nice. Coin collectors do not think that way. There are un-shiny coins that are Mint State, in that they have never circulated. Coin collectors prize the coin looking the way it should for its level of wear/handling/age. A penny would normally acquire a dark color in certain climates, for example, but also through contact with hands and pants pockets. In fact, a penny that has been cleaned to make it shiny will stand out to any seasoned collector as "badly cleaned," and if that collector is anything like me, s/he will say: "Was probably a nice piece until some yahoo got hold of it." Is a natural piece of red copper a thing of beauty? Surely. But the key word is 'natural,' and we know what it looks like.

Green stuff is probably either PVC slime or copper tarnish. We'd probably reserve "patina" for the overall rich chocolate brown hue that an older copper coin is likely to have. If the coins were stored in old tubes for a long time, the tubes probably deteriorated and coated the pennies with disgusting green slime, like Ghostbusters coins or something. Acetone will indeed take that off--I've done it. Otherwise it's probably verdigris, a sort of turquoise tarnish. In that case, there are two choices. If the coin is hugely valuable, you could have NGC take a crack at removing a tarnish that will grow worse over time (that's why they call it 'conservation'). If it were an S-VDB, for example, that's what I'd do. If it's worth very little even in untarnished condition, might as well try olive oil on it since there's no value to lose.

Edited February 11, 2022 by JKK

[tj96]

Great advise from Bill, Bob and JKK.

You might want to post pictures of the coins in question for advice in advance.

[BillJones]

As a collector who has been part of this hobby for over 60 years, I prefer older copper coins that are Brown to the red colored pieces for two reasons. First, they are less, often much less expensive. Second, they are stable if they are properly stored. 

A red copper coin could stay nice for over century and then suddenly turn on you. When it turns, you could stand to lose a lot of money. Here is an old large cent that is "brown" and also a Choice Mint State piece. 

 

[RWB]

Very nice 1852, Bill.

[VKurtB]

On 2/12/2022 at 2:10 PM, RWB said:

Very nice 1852, Bill.

Amen. Superb. 

[Alex in PA.]

I like it too.  It's a  

[Conder101]

On 2/11/2022 at 8:41 AM, Mr.Bill347 said:

The green stuff is verdigras. Brings down value of cents. An acetone soak may pull that off.

If it is truly verdigris, acetone will not do anything to it.

[J P M]

Wow that 1852 is a keeper. Way Nice