Rant: That guy at the coin show told me I was cleaning coins all wrong

I was at the Springfield show last month and some old dude watched me scrub a 1890s Indian Head penny with baking soda and went off on me about how I was destroying the patina. He showed me his method: just soak in distilled water for a day and use a soft toothpick for dirt. Has anyone else switched from harsh cleaning to just water and patience?

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_shah13d ago

Did baking soda really seem like a good idea to you?

jordan13412d ago

Oh man, I had a buddy who scrubbed a Mercury dime with steel wool once (yikes) and basically turned it into a shiny piece of scrap metal. So yeah, the water and toothpick thing sounds way safer if you ask me.