Cleaning & Photographing Coins & ArtefactsGenerally speaking, my advice on cleaning coins and
artefacts is don't. If there is even the slightest
chance that the item you wish to clean is of historical
importance or great financial value - leave the cleaning to
the professionals.
You use any information or advice found within these
pages at your own risk, I will except no responsibility for
damage, or loss of value, caused to coins or artefacts by
improper cleaning or attempts at restoration.
There are many stories that circulate the coin collecting
community about valuable collections of coins rendered
worthless by improper cleaning. Many of these stories go
something like this:
A coin dealer receives a phone call from a man wanting to
sell a large and very valuable coin collection he inherited
from an elderly relative. The coin dealer, realizing the
importance of the collection, agrees to meet the man the
following day to examine the coins and negotiate a price.
Upon the coin dealers arrival at the mans house the
following day, the owner of the collection tells him 'I
spent all of yesterday evening polishing up those old
coins.' A once valuable coin collection becomes all but
worthless because of an over enthusiastic owner and bottle
of Brasso.
I am not sure if this story actually has any basis in
fact, it may just be an urban legend, but it certainly has a
great deal of value as a cautionary tale. NEVER clean coins unless you are absolutely sure of what you are
doing.
Further Reading
- Cleaning Coins and Artefacts: Conservation Restoration Presentation
(Amazon link)
- Cleaning and Restoring Coins and Artefacts
by Michael J. Cuddeford, Mount Publications, 1995, Pb.
40pp. No index.
- First Aid for Finds: Practical Guide for
Archaeologists by David Leigh, David Watkinson,
Virginia Neal, Pb. 120 pages, 1998. United Kingdom
Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works,
Archaeology Section; 3 Rev Ed edition
- Elements of Archaeological Conservation
by Janet M. Cronyn, Pb. 352 pages, 1990, Routledge
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