This guide will help the beginner hobbyist to the experienced collector clean uncleaned coins safely. Most of the items needed can be found around your home, or purchased for as little $3

Ancient coins can be not only a fun and exciting hobby, but a very profitable one too!  Uncleaned coins, can be purchased almost anywhere for between $1 to $3 each (be careful - you will get what you pay for).  Many interesting finds await you under all that ancient dirt!!!  Please feel free to print this page out - it may come in handy when cleaning your coins.

Nota Bene:  As with all uncleaned coins, you may not strike pay dirt in your first lot or so. Uncleaned coins are like playing the slots in Vegas, you just never know  We send them to you as we get them which yields a higher potential of a good find. Remember when you bid on an auction, you are setting the price, not the seller so bid within your means and what you think you are willing to pay.

Items you will need:

Tooth brush
Distilled water
Very Mild non abrasive soap ie- Cascade Complete dishwashing detergent
Pin Vise or WOODEN toothpicks

Items you will never need:
A dremel tool - at 3,000+ RPM, your poor, innocent coins don't stand a chance.  Just using a dremel for a few seconds would be equivalent to brushing your coin with a brass brush constantly for several hours. Brass brushes WILL harm your coin.
A stainless steel brush - stainless steel is harder than bronze - unless you want a shiny, scratched up coin this is not a good idea. Softer non abrasive brushes can be used but with care

Muratic acid or battery acid - way too potent.  Absolutely nothing stronger than lemon juice or vinegar should be used, but we wont cover that here due to the potential of causing harm to your coins.

Olive Oil- Highly overated. Olive oil is not more productive than distilled water. The oil will reside in your coin regardless of how many times you rinse. One conservation professional states in time your object will most likely be infested with bronze disease.

Dental Picks- Another highly overrated tool. Unless your picking off encrustation larger than coin, youll only frustrate yourself wondering "what am I doing wrong?!"

Coin Cleaning Kits: These are essentially worthless. The only thing they contain of any value is a magnifier. Click here for magnifiers listed on ebay and you've already saved alot of money, which you can use to buy more coins

The above list is only a short, abbreviated list of don'ts.  The idea is to use common sense and realize that some coins will be ruined in the process - even by following the directions on this page.  Every coin is different - its hardness, its composition, its corrosion, etc.  Many experts still ruin coins even after years of experience.  Patience and diligence are the most important tools in the coin cleaning process.  Good luck - don't be discouraged if they don't come out well the first time.

THE CLEANING:

Place coins into a small cup or jar - preferably with a wide mouth.  
Fill the jar with distilled water until the coins are covered.
Let soak until the dirt softens.  This may be hours, days, weeks, and even longer if necessary.  There are faster ways to clean, but there is no safer way to clean your coins.
As the dirt softens, brush it off with a tooth brush.
Mix solution of a very mild non abrasive soap with water,enough to make the water soapy
Place coins into solution - checking every few minutes.
Brush the coin with the toothbrush removing as much grime as possible.
Repeat the process as many times as you deem necessary.
For the hard to remove encrustation use a simple pin vise, with sewing pin will work or a clothes pin with the knobby end clipped off. Pry the encrustation lightly keep care you dont scratch the surface. A wooden toothpick will work just as well, just expect to go through alot of them
Repeat the whole process as often as needed.

Final Cleaning.
You may notice after all your cleaning your left with small scratches or fine dirt. One new tool for the cleaning of ancients coins is a silver brush. The bristles are extremely fine and softer than the metal you are cleaning. Brass, steel or other hard metal brushes are harder than the coin you are cleaning creating more scratches or hazing. These brushes are not meant to remove hard encrustation.

An alternative cheap option is clear car wax or clear shoe polish.

Almost every tool in this process can be purchased at your local grocery/hardware store. The only thing those so called coin cleaning kits have to offer is an easy way to part you from your money.