Decimal coins (Pound) Cleaning Help

[ashjacko]

Hi all!

I have 9 old 1 pound coins that I want to clean up as well as lots of 20p/10p/5p's and am struggling to clean them up I have tried electrolysis and polish but really hard going.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[MonkeyHanger81]

Brasso could work. I use it to clean up my military medals.

[Fusion]

'Old' meaning round ones.... you shouldn't have any problem paying them into a bank once you have 20 of them ( the standard bag size). As they're being melted, and not put back into circulation, the bank shouldn't care if they look awful.

[targets]

just use brillo wire wool cleaner.. the banks arent worried about rotters jutst hand em over for a new coin

[JBM]

Old an new I just place them in the tumbler and that gives the kiss of life.

Happy Hunting,

Jerry.

[fred]

I use lemon or lime juice in a tumbling machine for about 10 minutes but I'm not actually sure that the tumbling matters. Repeat if required then a final scrub or shine gets them looking like new. I've got about 600 quids worth of the bloody things to do and they still keep on coming.

[Macroman]

Hi ya Ashjako,easy painless and quick way to clean up your finders pound coins.
Put coins in a vice face up,pinch up vice ... get your power drill,insert a soft wire brush turn on drill at max revs and gently introduce it's brush over the top of coins....easy !!..and works on the most tarnished coins.
But remember !!!.... gently does it...also put on your eye protection !!...good hunting..

[roofwash]

WHY???

[garrettoldboy]

hello, just buy a ultrasonic jewellery cleaner, warm water and a bit of washing up liquid, if you want shiney i think its coca cola (drink) ?????? or an acid type liquid like lemon

[CTX_Phil]

I don't bother cleaning any of my modern coin finds as I just stick them in any self service machine that will take them! Some rusty 1p / 2p I smack with a hammer to get the rust off which sometimes leaves me a really rough coin but even then the 2p machines at the arcades take them normally so it keeps the children happy. I also find most arcade machines still take old £1 if you don't want to bank them

[Kefyn]

I find loads of old pounds, £230 last year, ( on a field that country fairs are always held on)
I have tried most ways of cleaning them ( drill and wire brush works but takes too long) best way I've found is salt and vinegar in a tub (make sure salt is dissolved) leave them for about ten minutes (don't mix coin denominations ) pound coins come out clean , fakes go 'sandblasted' but still clean up.
Hope this helps

[ashjacko]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions, I probably won't bother cleaning the quids now I'll just change them at the bank.

I will try and clean up some of the 2p's and other denominations.

[Ferrett]

As already said white vinegar and salt , don't mix the different metals ,I found If you put copper coins with brass or silver coins it will plate them a rose gold colour

[Sir Upanotch]

Cover them in ketchup for 1/2 hr, it's amazing.

[Buriedbytime&dust]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions, I probably won't bother cleaning the quids now I'll just change them at the bank.

Do expect some raised eyebrows when you hand them over, and the odd question about how the coins got in such a state though!

Current currency just goes in the Coinstar machine in the supermarket, but even then you tend to attract unwanted attention. I once poured a load of coins into one and an old woman came up and said, in a rather accusatory fashion, "where'd you get all that change from?". I told her, but It didn't occur to me until later that she probably thought the coins came from stolen charity boxes or something!

[Dangerous Norman]

I use T-cut but never tried it on really dirty coins that have been dug up after being buried a while.

Salt and vinegar works great on copper coins but leaves them pinkish, a quick polish with T-cut and they look like new.