CLEANING Pennies

[serenitynow]

What's the best way to clean the penny / pennies that are going to be used to make pressed pennies?????

 

[budbeerlady]

I soaked mine in vinegar last night, they were nice and shiny again.

 

[roscoepc1]

Tomato juice, or tomato soup....

 

[tinkerjess]

leave them in a cup of coke for a few days!

 

[serenitynow]

Someone sent me a PM with a shiny penny formula:

1/4 cup white vinegar plus 1 Tablespoon salt.
Soak pennies for 15 minutes, then rinse pennies. I tried it and it works GREAT!

Thank YOU!

 

[magchavez]

I cleaned ours last year and someone told me to make sure they are older than 1983. The older ones are real copper and will shine better. Not sure if that is true or not. Ours were all old ones and they were very shiny!

 

[nikjd68]

I cleaned ours last year and someone told me to make sure they are older than 1983. The older ones are real copper and will shine better. Not sure if that is true or not. Ours were all old ones and they were very shiny!

You are correct. Before 1983 pennies were almost all copper. Since 1983 they are mostly zinc. Many people believe that the copper pennies make better pressed pennies (I agree).

Also, tip I got in the Unofficial guide is to make sure the "heads" side of the penny faces the side that will get pressed: the head of the coin has less detail and will make a better pressed coin.

 

[noahdove]

I used ketchup and they were very shiny all 1982 or before

 

[honeybee8200]

These are some tips that I have found around the web.

If the penny just needs a little touch up, a pencil eraser works well.

Use a toothbrush to get in the nooks and crannies.

Ketchup works great (has the vinegar and salt).

After cleaning, use a baking soda/water paste to make really shiney.

 

[douglisa]

I plan on going to the bank and asking them for a new roll.

 

[honeybee8200]

But you don't want to use new pennies since the zinc will show through the design. I've also heard that the copper starts flaking off after awhile too.

I have cleaned pennies myself now. What I did was put one in a bowl of vinegar with a little salt in it. Once the grime came off, I would wipe it off and then use the baking soda/water paste and buff the penny to a brilliant shine. I'm glad I didn't wait till last minute to do this since it does take some time.

You don't want to put more pennies in the bowl then you can clean in a 3-5 minute time frame. The grime will transfer if pennies touch. Also if you put in one that has the zinc in it, you will know. My hubby brought home a 1982 one and I figured I would try to see if this was a zinc one or not. Yeah, it turned pitch black. I ended up throwing it away because it smelled horrible.