Tried to clean a Roman coin with cola, got a science fair volcano

Found a crusty old coin in a field near Hadrian's Wall last fall, figured it was Roman. Watched a video where a guy said a soak in cheap cola could clean it. Left the coin in a bowl of store brand cola overnight. Woke up to a fizzy brown mess all over my kitchen counter. The coin looked worse, covered in a sticky black gunk. My partner walked in and asked if I was doing a grade school volcano project. Learned that cola's acid can eat metal if you leave it too long, not just the dirt. Anyone know a safe way to clean a coin that's mostly just dirt and not much detail left?

2 comments

2 Comments

tyler61416d ago

That cola trick is for modern coins, not ancient ones. Try soaking it in distilled water instead, it's way safer for old metal.

kevin_bailey16d ago

Guess Tyler614's coins have never met the magic of a Coke bath.