Hello all, this is just a short guide which will help you the beginner coin lover or to more experienced collector for cleaning uncleaned coins carefully and easily. Many items needed can be found in your home or acquired for very little money at your local mall.

Ancient uncleaned coin whether they are Roman, Greek, Islamic, or others can not only be fun for the whole family but also a new and exciting hobby as well and just think of who could of had that coin?? as it is owning a piece of history in your hands!. Uncleaned coins can be purchased anywhere from 0.99 up to $5.00 or more but remember you get what you pay for in the end so decide on what you want and the quality as well. And who knows what you will find under all that dirt as it could be anything. And remember with uncleaned coins you may not find the best coin the first time trying to clean them but if you keep doing so over time you will find some nice gems. As uncleaned Coins are at times a hit and miss just like in baseball or playing those slot machines in Vegas you never know what will happen or what you will end up with. When buying from us we send out some of the best coins anywhere which will produce in the end a higher possibility of a good find as we only sort out any junk coins and never keep any for ourselves!. Most sellers who sell uncleaned coins do the "washing method" which means they put all there coins into hot soapy water and pre-clean them which I do not....Why you may ask?, so that way they can pick out the best ones for themselves and resell them at higher prices and you will notice at times when buying coins there is little or no dirt/dust on them because they have been through the "washing method".

Items you will need to clean coins (basic)

Warm/Hot water
Soap, such as dish soap
brass brush for cleaning coins (for harder cleaning)
Old Tooth brush


Items you should not use or need

Any kinds of acid: Definitely do not use anything stronger then lemon juice or vinegar unless you know what your doing because due to the potential of causing damage to your coins if your not careful!.

A Steel brush: A stainless steel brush is much harder than brass and unless you wanted to damage your coins this is not a good idea but if your coins do have larger chunks of dirt you can use it for that and that alone. As a softer and non abrasive brush can be used but with care so be careful.

Hand held speed tools: Those hand tools running at thousands of RPM's and your coins do not stand any chance because if your not careful you will sand your coins down to slugs just think about how fast it is going and how easy it is to destroy something with them.

All of the above is only a very short list of things you should not really use on your coins. The best idea is just your own sense and think about what your doing and if not all your coins will be ruined in the process!. All coins from that time are not the same as the ones from today as some maybe harder then others and some maybe corroded. Even those who are experts from time to time can and do damage or destroy good quality coins as we all make mistakes. As the best thing when cleaning is to be patience at it which is the key to all things as that can be the most important tool in the process of cleaning uncleaned coins. So Good Luck to all and just give it a try furthermore do not be depressed  if they do not  turn out to be museum quality the first time around as we all make mistakes. But if you need help just email me and send some photos as I am always there for anyone even if your not a bidder of mine and no other seller anywhere will take the time in doing that as they only want your money.


1. A good source of light: A Strong directional lamp makes much more easier to see fine details

2. Brushes: Use a Stiff toothbrush or a stiff  plastic or fiberglass brush. A brass brush is ok too, but be careful not to scrub too hard or you can lose some surface details or patina.

3. Detail Tools: Using toothpicks or straight pins to do fine details, I use a fine dental pick as well which works at removing the dirt from lettering and finely detailed portions of the coins.
 
4. Cotton Swabs: Used for applying solutions and/or cleaning lightly - encrusted surface dirt.

5. Containers: To hold any solutions for soaking your coins.

6. Magnification: As small as some of those coins can be magnification can be crucial  to clearly seeing between the coin and the dirt. A hand-held reading one is fine although a jeweler's lop or light magnifier works best.

                                                  How to Clean them

Soap and water: The simplest method for using lightly encrusted coins and for in between soakings of more heavily encrusted coins. Often a quick soap bath is all you need. Fill a small container such as a coffee mug or butter container with warm/hot and dish soap. Swish the water a little to mix up the soap and then drop the coins into it. Allow soaking for 5 to 10 min's  then swirling the container around a little and then remove your coins. Rinse under warm water brushing your coins with a toothbrush or brass one. Make sure they are rinsed thoroughly to ensure all soap residue is removed.  Now examine your coins carefully to determine if any further cleaning is needed. Dry well afterwards if no further cleaning is needed.

Olive Oil: This is the most popular method of cleaning although it can be very time consuming but it usually yields the best results. First soak the coins in olive oil for about 7 or so days or longer. The oil will penetrate into the dirt and soften it over time, then take the coins out and dry them. Get again a coffee container fill the cup like in the "soap and water" method and add 1 spoon of TSP or Tri-sodium phosphate which is sold at most paint stores.  Put the coins in the TSP solution for about 5 to 10 min's to remove the oil residue then rinse with warm water to remove the TSP residue. After this soak/clean process; go over the coins with a brush and your detailing tools holding them under a good light source and magnifier too. If the dirt does not come of easily take off what you can and repeat the "olive Oil" method again and repeat as many times as necessary. It  is not unusual for this method to require many times but it is the best method to keep the coin intact and it is worth your time.

                                              
                                                       General Advice

Patience is the key element to cleaning up your coins as I cannot stress that point strongly enough!. As it has taken from 1500-2000+ year or more for the accumulation to build up on them and it does not come off without some effort and time. So start with only a few coins if you never tried this before to refine your new skills. Resist the urge to rush the cleaning process as it only leads to shortcuts that can damage the coin. Just remember a slow and steady drip of water can cut through even the hardest stone given enough time!. The same is true when cleaning your coins, the slow and steady yields the best results and have patiences at all times.

**Please feel free to copy/paste/print this page as it just may come in handy for you when cleaning your coins**

After selling for over 10 year here many sellers cannot say that they are still around as we are, even those who say they buy directly from Europe mostly buy after 5 or 6 deals but we don't and most also use are same point of sales but remember you get what you pay for in the end!.