Removing gunk

[guyincog 0]

Yes, I know, cleaning is bad but...

Recently acquired this coin:

Nice, but with some dried green gunk on the obverse. Could be from a PVC holder but actually looks more like somebody has sellotaped the coin to something.

I've heard that soaking in either acetone or pure alcohol will remove it, but I'm reluctant to try in case I destroy the coin completely. Does anyone have any experience with this?

[Guest Guest]

Acetone won't cause any problem to the coin, and it will dissolve the gunk if it's from PVC. It won't affect the lustre, but try it out on a worthless coin first.

[guyincog 0]

I have some shiny 1967 pennies earmarked for testing purposes.

I'm going to try 99.9% Isopropyl Alchohol first. Acetone seems like unpleasant stuff.

[Guest Eric Dawson]

Hi,

yes, alcohol is a more polar solvent and you will see that acetone is a bit better on most pvc residuals. Olive oil will remove grease to a degree and the residual is then removed with mild dish soap; it is also very mildly acidic and would limit the coin exposure to about 30-60 minutes initially.

Many other tricks but start with the basics...