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Any time a chemical comes into contact - in particularly with a copper coin surface its some form of cleaning. All three cleaners (Verdi-Care, Xylol & JPL Coin Care) have one thing in common a nuetral pH. Indeed solvents like isopropyl alcohol, keteon, actone, methyl ethyl ketone are nuetral solvents but other than xylol most can turn a surface whitish through dry out. Decontamination is just another word for soil removal. I agree acetone is cheap and plentiful but if necessary its best to use one of these materials IMO. I have heard of complaints of the high shipping of Verdi-Care to the U.K. and I sell my product only to fellow collectors who are either desperate or who I have known for awhile. I use chemicals no longer available on the open consumer product. But we can argue in circles. Anyone who wishes to try it I can send them a bottle. There was another topic in terms of toning. The two main contaminants in the open air which tone coins are chlorides and sulfur. A book William Weimer on Coin Chemistry does this subject very well and this is confimed on some BNJ and RNS metalluricial studies from guys like Craddock and Northover. One trick I used is taking sulfur gel which is used by Afro-Americans as a hair product. It contains a large amount of sulfur - apply a small dab inside a paper envelope and let the coin sit in there for a year. There was some comments that a cleaned coin may never properly retone. Its false. Its works pretty well and to achieve rainbow toning stick a silver coin wrapped in aluminum foil in a toaster oven for 400*F for 30 minute intervals. Try it. Understood - you can't remove surface hailrlines if its part of the cleaning process - obviously. Carbon spots can't be removed from copper proofs and copper spots on gold coins need to be left alone. last night I spoke to the largest group of metal detectors in the East Coast of the U.S. - ironically - but it was interesting. yes - I did recommend these (3) products. Yep - acetone came up again. I would use it only to remove that sticky surface from a copper with a QUICK q-tip application. Agree ... just to be clear ... other than ground burial why would anyone decontaminate a silver or gold coin? John Lorenzo Numismatist United States johnmenc@optonline.net

Like letting a junkie look after your medicine cabinet.... Like letting Dracula look after the blood bank

What is in your medicine cabinet?

If you are serious then I am happy to send it to you on the condition that you put a fiver into a charity box when you get it. As a non-collector I don't really have any use for it and would prefer to give it to someone who is interested rather than just put it back into circulation. Hey, fishsticks, that's very kind, and I'll take you up on your offer! I'll donate £5 to charity, AND send you a fiver for a bottle of wine! Many thanks for your generosity. I genuinely don't know a great deal about the decimal coinage, and only gather it as a bit of fun. These oddities do become important to some people, eventually, but it'll unlikely be in your's or my lifetime. However, it's all a bit of fun, and I thank you again. I'll message you in the morning if that's OK? Have a good evening, Stuart