Shipping coins - tape to coins

I just receieved some coins from Europe. The coins are nice and arrived in a timely manner. Generally speaking, the sender intended to well package them. However, he made one very serious mistake. He taped the 58 coins in groups of 2 or 3 coins together for shipping. Therefore, the tape was stuck to one side of most coins. This type of tape leaves a tape glue residue on the surface of the coin. I have them in soak in hot soapy water to try to gently release the tape glue from the surface of the coins. Any other suggestions?

Acetone, the soap probably will not work on the glue. Yea, that is not good, is he a new collector? I am sure that you let him know the problem and he will not make that mistake again.

There is quite a few things you can use. I moved last December, so a lot of glass were with glue on it. I used ethanol. But I know that is corrosive. even water is corrosive.

My suggestion: get a similar disposable coin, choose a clean method, and try it. After all, quickly apply acetone. I have used it to prepare samples for metalographic analisys. The acetone remove the water from the surface and quicly vaporizes.

Acetone yes, however use the stuff sold at hardware stores not the stuff yer lady uses to remove fingernail polish with. I've never tried it but I'm told that it contains additives which can harm a coin's surface. It's also much more expensive and you will be nagged at for a week when she comes to change polish and discovers you've used it all to clean coins with!

There are two schools of thought about how to use acetone, some soak it overnight (keep it topped up or you will end up with a bigger mess than you started with) some just give them a quick dip. Some rinse the coin, some just allow the acetone to evaporate.

I soak really dirty coins in warm water, then rinse with acetone and allow them to thoroughly dry. It's great for fingerprints if they are relatively fresh and the black greasy spots on silver coins. It doesn't seem to make any difference to verdigris or non oily carbon spots.

Still working on the coins.

Quote: coinsoldierI just receieved some coins from Europe. The coins are nice and arrived in a timely manner. Generally speaking, the sender intended to well package them. However, he made one very serious mistake. He taped the 58 coins in groups of 2 or 3 coins together for shipping. Therefore, the tape was stuck to one side of most coins. This type of tape leaves a tape glue residue on the surface of the coin. I have them in soak in hot soapy water to try to gently release the tape glue from the surface of the coins. Any other suggestions?

FINALLY HAVE MY COINS CLEANED. To clean off the tape glue, I used DAWN dish liquid ... the particular one that is clear like water (NOT the colored ones). This is the same DAWN dish liquid that is used to clean oil from sea birds in distress. It is very gentle and does a great job of removing dirt from the surface of the coin without leaving the coin shiney. It does not change the natural toning of the coin. It is certainly worth a try. In Canada, I purchase it at Walmart. You can probably get it at Walmart in the United States. I do not know if it is available in other countries.quote]

I suggest you to avoid to use products containing oxigenate . Best solution is tu use aromatic hydrocarbons or solvent containing them. When I receive coins with scotch residual I use toluene or toluol. Coins become as were before. (sorry for my bad english)
Enrico

Interesting post! I thought any kind of cleaning was a no no? I've kept all my really dirty coins and coins with "tape glue" out of my collection... are you telling me it's okay to clean them with acetone and put them back into the collection? Thanks, Janine

No, dont use Acetone to clean coins, it is an oxigenate compound. Moreover it is difficult to find Acetone without impurity.
Yes it would be better not cleaning coins at all. But some time crazy collector use scotch to assembly coins for shipment. And you must remove it otherwise they become dark or corrosed within some year.
Best regards
Enrico

It's up to the individual as to what coins they want or don't want to add to a collection. BU coins that have not been cleaned are of course choice, to most collectors, but coins that are just dirty can be cleaned with a mild dish deturgent and a gental rub with your fingers.

I personally, have coins in my collection with all sort of condition issues from holed to pitted with corrotion. I add them as place fillers until I find one in a better condition.

Glue from tape or being glue for display is hard to remove without damaging the coin. Maybe a soak in hot water to loosen the glue then a wash with a mild cleaner would help. (don't expose zinc coins to hot water. From what I've heard, it doesn't turn out well.)

Thanks, good advice from all. Will only attempt to clean those that I've chosen to exclude due to condition! What about that green "fungi" type stuff? Can we get rid of it?

Quote: HopleyThanks, good advice from all. Will only attempt to clean those that I've chosen to exclude due to condition! What about that green "fungi" type stuff? Can we get rid of it?

It's verdigris and it's the bane of the copper collector's life. UInlike dirt or contamination it's not something deposited on the surface of the coin, it's the actual metal corroding. Left untreated it will over a long enough period eat away a coin.

While it can't be removed, (you could take a drill and polishing bit to it but it will destroy your coin) it can be stabilised.  I've never had much luck with the awful green curse but there are proprietary products on the market which claim to be able to deal with it. I've never tried them (I'm not big on coin cleaning) but one our members, James Wolfe was trying it out. I'm waiting to hear the results.

Before you start cleaning your coins let me share a few pointers with you. Try to think in terms of conserving  rather than cleaning. Your aim should be to remove disfiguring contaminants while leaving the desirable patina. Polishing works for silver spoons but not for coins, it looks superficially better but leaves behind hairline scratches which collectors find very undesirable.

Keep in mind that the ugly black deposits have built up over time and while the rest of the coin was building up a beautiful patina there is likely to be pristine metal underneath the gunk so you may well end up with a patchy, unappealing coin as a result of your efforts. Resist the temptation to rub or scrub the surface, let the solution do the work, rinse and then press dry with a clean towel.

Warm soapy water is the safest option, followed by pure acetone. Even these relatively benign agents can have undesriable side effects, copper and brass coins left in water to soak will often have a flat, unatural look, silver coins treated with acetone (dipped) have a white cast often described as "blast white".

I tell you this not to worry you but to make sure you are aware of the risks - there is good reason why many experienced collectors advise against cleaning.

Practice on a few pieces of pocket change with different compositions. What works for cupro nickel will probably not work for copper. Once you get a feel for what is possible don't be tempted to do a wholesale cleaning of your collection. Think long and hard before conserving a coin,  if it is so badly degraded that it has little value anyway then by all means try but with the understanding that you are at best swapping the problem of a dirty coin for the problem of a cleaned one.

Each collector decides where they draw the line, for my part I'm pretty much in the "no clean" camp except for very rare instances where I am certain that the detrimental effects of conserving are outweighed by the improvement to the coins surfaces.

Thanks for the good advice! I've inherited a collection, and some of the coins were stacked and wraped in tape, so there is some glue residue, and in some instances black residue only on the rims. Should I leave these as it?

The black residue that you are talking about leads me to assume that they are silver coins. Silver will turn black under the right conditions and while it is a little unsightly, it is expected. Most collectors have no problem with  it and some prefer it, as a sign that the coin is original.
As for the verdigris, it is copper rust, eating away the metal and spreadingto other coins that it comes into contact with. Try ketchup. It will remove it in a couple of hours, but it will give copper and bronze coins an odd color(as opposed to the verdigris, the discoloring isn't to bad) , but it works well on copper-nickel coins, only leaving a little dark pitting.

Quote: ctuckerThe black residue that you are talking about leads me to assume that they are silver coins. Silver will turn black under the right conditions and while it is a little unsightly, it is expected. Most collectors have no problem with  it and some prefer it, as a sign that the coin is original.
As for the verdigris, it is copper rust, eating away the metal and spreadingto other coins that it comes into contact with. Try ketchup. It will remove it in a couple of hours, but it will give copper and bronze coins an odd color(as opposed to the verdigris, the discoloring isn't to bad) , but it works well on copper-nickel coins, only leaving a little dark pitting.

I swear, you Americans will put catsup on anything!

I'm guessing that ketchup works because of the vinegar content - acetic acid?  I haven't tried it but it makes sense. Verdigris is the one circumstance where I would depart from my usual "no clean" policy, it's ugly and it's active.  Leaving it alone is probably worse than cleaning, as you say it's eating yer coins!

Interestingly I've been told by a couple of collectors who prefer to clean their coins that the results can vary from series to series. Mercury dimes and Washington quarters don't respond well to cleaning attempts but the earlier Barber issues and Kennedy Halves do. I don't know how true it is but I do know that I have several Mercury dimes which I've relegated to my scrap box because of excessive cleaning.

Waaaaay back when I was a young collectotr people used to clean the black residue from silver coins by using a pencil eraser. It was a pretty common practice and was widely claimed to be harmless to the coin's surface. Yet nobody does this anymore so I reckon it wasn't quite so good after all. I wonder how many coins are sitting in albums today were given the eraser treatment back in the 60s?

Coin cleaning is one of those strange topics, experts and purists decry the practice yet are often doing it themselves! A lawsuit against PCGS (I think it was PCGS, it was one of the major players anyway) for naming several leading dealers who had been repeatedly submitting doctored coins was just settled out of court.

Let he who is withouit sin.... etc. and so-forth.

Shucks... now I'm going to have to spend all night removing all coins that have ANY signs verdigris (or green fungi) from my collection before the infection spreads! Thanks guys, really appreciated...

Quote: pnightingale

Quote: ctuckerThe black residue that you are talking about leads me to assume that they are silver coins. Silver will turn black under the right conditions and while it is a little unsightly, it is expected. Most collectors have no problem with  it and some prefer it, as a sign that the coin is original.
As for the verdigris, it is copper rust, eating away the metal and spreadingto other coins that it comes into contact with. Try ketchup. It will remove it in a couple of hours, but it will give copper and bronze coins an odd color(as opposed to the verdigris, the discoloring isn't to bad) , but it works well on copper-nickel coins, only leaving a little dark pitting.

I swear, you Americans will put catsup on anything!

I'm guessing that ketchup works because of the vinegar content - acetic acid?  I haven't tried it but it makes sense. Verdigris is the one circumstance where I would depart from my usual "no clean" policy, it's ugly and it's active.  Leaving it alone is probably worse than cleaning, as you say it's eating yer coins!

Interestingly I've been told by a couple of collectors who prefer to clean their coins that the results can vary from series to series. Mercury dimes and Washington quarters don't respond well to cleaning attempts but the earlier Barber issues and Kennedy Halves do. I don't know how true it is but I do know that I have several Mercury dimes which I've relegated to my scrap box because of excessive cleaning.

Waaaaay back when I was a young collectotr people used to clean the black residue from silver coins by using a pencil eraser. It was a pretty common practice and was widely claimed to be harmless to the coin's surface. Yet nobody does this anymore so I reckon it wasn't quite so good after all. I wonder how many coins are sitting in albums today were given the eraser treatment back in the 60s?

Coin cleaning is one of those strange topics, experts and purists decry the practice yet are often doing it themselves! A lawsuit against PCGS (I think it was PCGS, it was one of the major players anyway) for naming several leading dealers who had been repeatedly submitting doctored coins was just settled out of court.

Let he who is withouit sin.... etc. and so-forth.

ketchup, you brits founded it in malaysia in 1740

Quote: pnightingale[

I swear, you Americans will put catsup on anything!

I'm guessing that ketchup works because of the vinegar content - acetic acid?  I haven't tried it but it makes sense. Verdigris is the one circumstance where I would depart from my usual "no clean" policy, it's ugly and it's active.  Leaving it alone is probably worse than cleaning, as you say it's eating yer coins!

Interestingly I've been told by a couple of collectors who prefer to clean their coins that the results can vary from series to series. Mercury dimes and Washington quarters don't respond well to cleaning attempts but the earlier Barber issues and Kennedy Halves do. I don't know how true it is but I do know that I have several Mercury dimes which I've relegated to my scrap box because of excessive cleaning.

Waaaaay back when I was a young collectotr people used to clean the black residue from silver coins by using a pencil eraser. It was a pretty common practice and was widely claimed to be harmless to the coin's surface. Yet nobody does this anymore so I reckon it wasn't quite so good after all. I wonder how many coins are sitting in albums today were given the eraser treatment back in the 60s?

Coin cleaning is one of those strange topics, experts and purists decry the practice yet are often doing it themselves! A lawsuit against PCGS (I think it was PCGS, it was one of the major players anyway) for naming several leading dealers who had been repeatedly submitting doctored coins was just settled out of court.

Let he who is withouit sin.... etc. and so-forth.We do indeed like our ketchup.

It most likely is the vinegar that does the work, but it may also be the acids in the tomatos. Either way it is a nice paste that stays where you put it.

Erasers leave some nasty little micro-scratches on coins. The best way I've found is with water, aluminum foil a battery and baking soda( I think it was baking soda). You can search youtube to find a video on how to.
I've used this method a time or two, with good results and if there was any damage other than removing the tarnish I couldn't see it.

Quote: coinsoldierI just receieved some coins from Europe. The coins are nice and arrived in a timely manner. Generally speaking, the sender intended to well package them. However, he made one very serious mistake. He taped the 58 coins in groups of 2 or 3 coins together for shipping. Therefore, the tape was stuck to one side of most coins. This type of tape leaves a tape glue residue on the surface of the coin. I have them in soak in hot soapy water to try to gently release the tape glue from the surface of the coins. Any other suggestions?

Yes, I use something here in the States called WD40. Everyone has it. It is based on fish oil and removes all types of gum instantly.
Paul

Quote: phulen

Quote: coinsoldierI just receieved some coins from Europe. The coins are nice and arrived in a timely manner. Generally speaking, the sender intended to well package them. However, he made one very serious mistake. He taped the 58 coins in groups of 2 or 3 coins together for shipping. Therefore, the tape was stuck to one side of most coins. This type of tape leaves a tape glue residue on the surface of the coin. I have them in soak in hot soapy water to try to gently release the tape glue from the surface of the coins. Any other suggestions?

Yes, I use something here in the States called WD40. Everyone has it. It is based on fish oil and removes all types of gum instantly.
Paul

Does it leave an oily film on the coin?

There are many who send coins with tape on the coin. Many dont know also. But what I do is as follows.

1. If the glue is not bad, I wipe it with a soft cloth and rubbing alcohol (one available in many shops).

2. If the glue is still there, I use turpentine to wipe it off with a cloth and then wash the coin with water and dishwashing liquid thoroughly. then again wipe clean with cloth and alcohol.

So far I have not seen any of my coins lose metal or get scratched more than what it already had. I clean my coins with special Tamarind paste dissolved water, including copper, cuppro-nickel coins and steel coins. So far no issues and all my coins are quite clean and without grime. Coins of course will slowly get back their dull shade again. I leave it then and no further wiping.

I also ensure I put the coins inside small cellophane pouches before I put them in albums which are mostly PVC sheets which can damage coin if they are directly in touch over long time.

Most important please warn your swap partner not to put tape over coins directly, they can tape the coins to a cardboard after they have wraped the coins in a white paper or tracing paper.

Warm regards

I've cleaned a coin or two and here's what I've come up with.

A vinegar soak will make copper coins look good but only when they're in the vinegar. Once they're out they look kind of pink.

Baking Soda over-cleans coins and makes them look too shiny and doctored. After a while they begin to look dull but still never gain the original patina back.

I've tried the eraser on plain copper cents and unless it is applied evenly, which still doesn't leave an appealing tone, it looks like there's one orange-pink spot where the coin has been cleaned.