How to clean moldy coins from basement?

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dbader
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How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#1 Unread post by dbader »

I recently purchase some coins from a lady and I have noticed that some of them that were down in the basement have mold on them. I know that cleaning can be a very controversial issue so I thought I would ask the forum for any suggestions on what would be the best way to clean mold off of these coins?

Thanks
Dan

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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#2 Unread post by muswell65 »

Tell us more about the coins, and perhaps some example pictures?

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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#3 Unread post by Earle42 »

The coin hobby uses the term cleaning a bit differently that in other contexts.

Cleaning a coin means you that in the end some of the surface metal (even on a microscopic basis) was removed.

If you dropped your silver quarter into your glass os Pepsi, then rinsing the coin off with (preferably) distilled water is not cleaning the coin. You certainly would not want Pepsi residue on it forever. Dry it with a cotton cloth (cannot scratch the metal then the only thing deon was caled "conservation." The coin itself has not changed, yet the contaminant is gone.

Now...if the same thing were to happen but you used a paper towel wipe the water off, you are going to see you have now put small parallel scratches across the surface of the coin, aka removed metal, aka now the coin is considered damaged/cleaned.

AsPaul said, let us know what they are.

The answer is most likely to be putting them in pure acetone, but let us see them and know what they are first. Acetone cannot chemically react/change the metal and is not "cleaning" a coin.
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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#4 Unread post by dbader »

Thanks guys. Let me get some pictures together.

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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#5 Unread post by Iceresistance »

I once got a plastic container in Christmas 2020 that was filled with pennies that was in rough Shape, I found 3 Wheats in there, I've cleaned the coins with Vinegar (NOTE: I intended the cleaning method with Vinegar because I would put the pennies back into Circulation) & most of the Pennies were in better shape than before the cleaning . . . Yes they became ungradeable because they were cleaned, but I'd prefer not handling very dirty coins over polished ones . . .
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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#6 Unread post by dbader »

Here are a couple pictures of some of the coins that have mold on them. There are others of various composition.
20210915_100407.jpg
20210915_100450.jpg

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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#7 Unread post by Daniel »

Coins like this are a lost cause, I've never seen anyone restore coins that look like this and they're not worth enough to spend that time on them. I am sorry to say.

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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#8 Unread post by Earle42 »

You now have a reason to hate the old Whitman folders like I do. They corrode coins. The copper has started to oxidize and there are pits in the surfaces where the corrosion is. I also lost a number of good coins like this when I stored mine (safely I thought) and went off to college.

This is the copper corroding and pitting the surfaces of what used to be nice coins. I especially hate to see it on Canadian cents that retain some luster since their mintages were so much lower than US cents and, at least in my experience, its harder to find them with full luster.
Common grading company shortcomings & resulting co$tly mi$take$ to collectors (using Kennedy No FG halves):
https://tinyurl.com/y7rksxu8

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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#9 Unread post by Paul »

Daniel wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:14 pm Coins like this are a lost cause, I've never seen anyone restore coins that look like this and they're not worth enough to spend that time on them. I am sorry to say.
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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#10 Unread post by silverbul »

lost cause, i say go for it. what do you have to lose? clean them easy with no scrubbing. bleach?

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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#11 Unread post by Earle42 »

He can go for it. The green will be gone, but the corrosion pits still in the coins.

The concept we are saying here is that the damage will always be there. There is no way to restore them to have nice smooth non-damaged surfaces again😒.

Its like if you have a rusty and pitted tool, you can get rid of the rust, but the pits are there to stay. Unless yuo sand them off. And in this case, sanding the coins will erase a lot more details.
Common grading company shortcomings & resulting co$tly mi$take$ to collectors (using Kennedy No FG halves):
https://tinyurl.com/y7rksxu8

How much squash would a sasquatch squash if a sasquatch would squash squash?

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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#12 Unread post by Earle42 »

He can go for it. The green will be gone, but the corrosion pits still in the coins.

The concept we are saying here is that the damage will always be there. There is no way to restore them to have nice smooth non-damaged surfaces again😒.

Its like if you have a rusty and pitted tool, you can get rid of the rust, but the pits are there to stay. Unless yuo sand them off. And in this case, sanding the coins will erase a lot more details.
Common grading company shortcomings & resulting co$tly mi$take$ to collectors (using Kennedy No FG halves):
https://tinyurl.com/y7rksxu8

How much squash would a sasquatch squash if a sasquatch would squash squash?

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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#13 Unread post by dbader »

Thanks Guys.
That's kind of what I figured but I just wanted to throw the question out there anyway.. loI

I'll just put them in the foreign coin pile... lolol

Thanks again
Dan

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Re: How to clean moldy coins from basement?

#14 Unread post by Ken McKinley »

Does this set have the 36 one dot penny or the 53 shoulder fold?

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