Does Baking Soda Damage Silver Coins? (2024)

FAQs

Does Baking Soda Damage Silver Coins? ›

You can safely clean your silver coins at home using baking soda. Understanding how to clean your coins without causing damage is crucial for maintaining their value. Not all silver coins need cleaning – sometimes, leaving the tarnish alone is best. Baking soda is a safe and effective cleaning agent for silver coins.

Cleaned coins lose value because most cleaning products are abrasive, you can easily damage the coins, and even non-abrasive cleaners can react poorly with other metals in the coins.

The gleam of sterling or silver-plated jewelry, flatware, and serving pieces is gorgeous, but exposure to air tarnishes silver over time. Instead of commercial silver polishes that contain harsh chemicals, polish silver with baking soda, water and aluminium foil for a fast and easy way to restore the shine.

Baking Soda

The baking soda is used for scouring out dirt and tarnish from crevices on the coin (such as areas in and around designs and around lettering). Then, it is rinsed away with clean, tepid water before the coin is pat dry with a soft cloth.

Professional silver cleaners use non-abrasive and gentle cleaning methods with no harsh chemicals to ensure they remove tarnish and hard deposits without damaging the coin's value. However, it is important to remember that professional cleaning cannot remove scratch marks or other forms of damage.

You can easily clean silver with aluminum foil, baking soda and hot water. This method uses electrolytic action instead of chemical-polish abrasion and removes the tarnish from oxidized silver without removing any of the underlying metal. This is great for heavily tarnished silver.

You can clean tarnished silver (even heavily tarnished pieces) with a simple homemade solution, and you likely already have all the ingredients that you need. Cleaning silver with a combination of aluminum foil, baking soda, and salt typically does the trick for both small and large silver pieces.

Using vinegar in your sliver cleaning routine is a great way of speeding up the cleaning process. Even the most tarnished pieces of silverware can come back to life just by using vinegar.

The coin is dipped into a dilute acid solution that removes the oxidation from the coin along with a small amount of metal. Overdipped coins result in loss of luster which lowers the coin's grade and appeal. According to author Thomas E. Hudgeons Jr., this is the safest way commonly found coins are cleaned.

Hydrogen peroxide will dissolve the years of dirt on the coins and sterilize them.

What does hydrogen peroxide do to silver coins? ›

Yes, you can use hydrogen peroxide to clean coins. It can remove stains and tarnish and won't damage your coins' surface. However, it's best to use a diluted form of hydrogen peroxide instead of concentrated.

If you don't have any chemical cleaner, you can use Coca-Cola, or co*ke, as a simple cleaning substitute for sterling or plated silver. The acid in co*ke works to cut through any grime or rust on the silver's surface. Once you soak the silver in cola, you can have a piece that looks good and new!

The coin pictured below for example is an American silver Quarter-Dollar that has taken on a striking blue tone. Cleaning an old coin would remove the patina or toning that helps make it even more unique and visually appealing. Removing this effect can significantly reduce the value of the item.

1964 Washington Quarter Value

According to the NGC Price Guide, as of May 2024, a Washington Quarter from 1964 in circulated condition is worth between $5.25 and $7.75. However, on the open market 1964 Quarters in pristine, uncirculated condition sell for as much as $6700.

Polishes will damage gilding. Silver dips, if used without care, will over-clean silver that has a chased, engraved, or embossed decoration. If the object is silver plated, any method of tarnish removal may be very damaging.

Collectors like coins with eye appeal, which means maintaining an original surface, unhampered by cleaning. It does not mean bright and shiny. Most coins tone or tarnish over time. Patina and oxidation are normal and should not be tampered with.

No matter how gently you do it, cleaning silver coins can damage the surface of the precious metals and diminish their value. Some estimates say that cleaning silver coins can decrease their value by 20-30% less than the spot price.