My father is a coin collector, and says that it is almost voodoo to clean a coin. When they come off the mint, cleaning them can remove protective layers. Of course, this is t keep their value, as some coins he handles are only to be touched with a white glove! However, Silver cleaning compounds manufactured specifically for silver are the way to go if you must clean them. If you're only worried about keeping the shine, as (obviously magicians are) then silver compound, or baking soda mixed with a little water, (for those tarnished stains), toothpaste (use a soft bristle toothbrush for those hard to get surfaces), or cut a lemon in half and pour salt on it, the scrub the coin with the lemon. The lemon juices provide a softer acid than vinegar combined with the slight abrasiveness of salt (partially broken down by the lemon juice) can shine your coins. Also, silver jewlery cleaner.

My father says cleaning coins is taboo, but using them for magic is going to wear and scratch them anyway. These are the safest methods he gave me, (i'm on the phone now with him). Now to get him to sell me some cheap Morgans!!!

I've used ashes for years for both silver and copper, it's the best.
Typically though I prefer not to polish my silver coins, as I like the patina that silver gets, and it helps my coin handling, the coins "cling" a bit better and are much easier to work with. I sometimes have to polish copper coins, because they don't always tarnish uniformly, and there can be noticable differences in the appearance of coins and gaffs, so I occasionally polish them to get a "fresh start"
Oh and as Tabman said use a damp cloth, not your fingers, if for no other reason than your fingers will stink like an ashtray.

I've also had good success with the jewelry dip at WalMart.

Gene

This topic seems to haunt us.

1) What condition are the coins in now? Dirty, pitted, rough surfaces...?

2) What do you want when you are done? Mirrors? Mirror finish to flat surfaces?

If they are dirty from use, try soap and water or better yet, pure alcohol to remove the dirt and oil.

If you want to change the surface of the coin... then you are looking at using a polish.

Anybody got a buffing wheel?

[quote]On 2005-01-03 11:49, W.F. Lewis wrote:
Hello folks,
Just interested in what everyone thinks is the safest and most effective polish for your Morgans and your silver halves.


Thanks for your suggestions,
Willie Lewis


DON'T DO IT!!!!

unless...


you want to















ruin the value of the coin!

Once you wash/shine/polish or what ever, you kill the value of the coin.

Hey guys, no need for the concoctions- There are polish cloths available for two or three bucks - Jewelers kinda keep them secret cuz they almost do as nice of a job as a polishing lathe (buffing wheel).If anyone has trouble finding them pm me .The ones that I find to work best are two cloths sewn together - one white and one blue . White is full of polishing compound - the blue is used second to remove any residue- They work fantastically - don't use the old rouge cloths as they are too messy- red stuff every where.
Use the cloths- unless you enjoy slathering some witches brew all over your coins.

Try using a rock tumbler to polish your coins. Use a very fine grit, and man they get shiny! I’ve heard of using hard large fish tank gravel, but that seems to big. I want to give the large gravel a try though. Good luck…
Magically,
Roman

This is what you want chaps - http://www.britishcornershop.co.uk/produ......curr=usd

It used to be called Duraglit but is now Silvo. Brasso is also available for copper.

I tried the toothpaste with a toothbrush and it works great. My coins look like new.
THANKS!!!!!!

Since this thread came back from the dead, I had to browse through it. I don't think I missed it, but hard to believe Tarn-X was never mentioned. Being a child of the 70's, they played a commercial for it 20 times a day! I always just wanted to dip a brown silver spoon in a bowl of it and change it back to gleaming silver INSTANTLY! BUT...no silver spoons in our house and therefore...no Tarn-X!

When I was finally able to afford uncirculated silver coins and gaffs i.e. '21 Morgans and '64 Kennedys etc., I couldn't WAIT to use it! HA! (insert geek jokes here) Of course, my Walking and Seated Libertys and other nicely aged coins will NEVER see anything buy my palms and fingers (and JOLs).

No "polished" coin will ever look like "new". It will look much more like a clad coin IMHO. That look is undesirable to me (but to each his own). Real silver coins in an uncir state look almost like anodized aluminum. However, they will and DO tarnish.

The moral to my story is this: If you want that "Mint fresh" look without the polished mirror look (which...as an experiment with a beat up Kennedy I tried ...found tarnishes much faster), try some Tarn-X. IT ROCKS!

Disclaimer: READ THE DIRECTIONS.

TIP: Keep it off any Teflon.

Happy Cleaning,
Christian

Where do you get ashes in this non-smoking era? Do they sell them on the internet?

There are a ton of household items you c......n coins.

Alibaba,

PM me. I'll make you a really good deal on some ashes!

My silver coins are in this black bag treated with some tarnish retardant and it seems to work so far. Sorry I have no reference where I bought them, but it was online and seems to be a common item. I never use my proof coins, those are the ones with a mirror finish.

Yea!! a thread that proves I am not the only person that appreciate shiny coins. Thanks for bringing it back.

The toothpaste tip is terrific! Works like a charm, without over polishing.

If you are sure that your coins are definitely ruined by anything, you can use cillit bang:http://cillitbang.co.uk/index.shtml
Just have rubber-gloves and say "F..K" to the nature.
Really good result, indeed! I use it for my copper cups and coins and it looks like a miracle.