How To Clean Tarnished Silver Coins

Never try to remove the natural oxidation from coins such as the tarnish on silver coins.

How to clean tarnished silver coins. If your silver is tarnished ketchup can help. Silver polish is an excellent tool for cleaning tarnished silver coins that are meant to be keepsakes but is not recommended for use on rare coins. Tarnish on silver coins is called toning and the coin is worth more with the toning intact. The abrasives and acids in the polish may damage the collectible value of those types of silver coins. Cleaning a rare collectible coin can reduce its value by over 50 due to tiny scratches or the removal of the tarnish.

The dark tarnish in a silver coin is oxidation and immersion in an acid can remove it. You may need to repeat steps if both sides are equally tarnished. Add tarnished silver coins. You can expedite the reduction reactions that remove tarnish by immersing some small iron nails along with the coin. Over the years coins can accumulate dirt germs corrosion and other gunk which removes the natural lustre from the coin and makes them visually unappealing.

After the coin has sat in the olive oil remove it from the bowl and clean the coin with soap and distilled water gently scouring the currency with an old toothbrush. Add the tarnished silver into the middle of the container with the most tarnished side up. Add more baking soda hot water. If you do the coin should stay in the bath no. Cover the silver with baking soda enough to totally obscure the silver.

Of course if you galvanically clean a few silver dollars you do not have to worry about a little weight the pebble and the boiling water. Removing it will damage the coin s surface and greatly reduce its value. Here s how to polish silver with this common condiment. In other words you should never use dips polish or chemical solutions to clean your. You can also use a dab of olive oil on a clean cloth for how to shine brass after you have removed tarnish.

One method is to leave the coin in a bowl filled with lemon juice or vinegar for up to 24 hours or until the surfaces of the coin are clear. Use extreme caution with valuable coins. But should you attempt to clean toned are tarnished coins. Squirt a small amount on a paper towel and rub gently over the tarnished areas. Coins tone when exposed to air.