Help, cleaning old coins with acetic acid and salt gone wrong!

[68c]

Had a jar of old coins in the shed for years so finally decided to clean them up. All common post war coins of little value.
Google suggested a solution of vinegar/acetic acid and salt. I used kettle descaler and salt which bought the copper coins up lovely. Then I tried the same with 'silver' coins. Five minutes later I found they had all taken a copper sheen! Obviously I was foolish to use the same solution that I had cleaned the coins in as it appears the dissolved copper oxide had converted onto the silver coins. Not a chemist so do not know how.

So....how to I remove that very thin copper coating?

 

[Silver-Fox]

Red or brown sauce maybe

 

[The Coops]

Full fat coke and soak

 

[rosalan]

I know little or nothing but Google suggests hydrogen peroxide.

 

[68c]

Don't know any local 'blondes'.

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[ctc]

Cola made by a well known company will clean anything.

 

[68c]

Coke (phosphoric acid) not doing much. As the 'silver' coins took up the copper I wonder if there is a similar path, perhaps to iron?

 

[pappajohn]

Probably more valuable if you leave the original patina on them.

 

[Thornebt]

From my coin collecting days I know that you shouldn't clean coins as it destroys the patina that takes decades to build up. If they are low value I guess it doesn't really matter.

 

[68c]

That was my feeling. Nothing special so no matter. Just cleaned them up to see the detsil better fir my own interest. There is obviously some anodic action going on.

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[jockaneezer]

Wrap silver coins loosely in aluminium foil and drop them into a bath of warm water with soda washing crystals dissolved in it. Give it a shake every few minutes.

 

[Outdoors Dad]

Full fat coke is really good at cleaning metal.....I wouldn't drink it though

 

[MisterB]

Brown sauce .... But only if the coins aren't really worth anything, if they are, as suggested, leave them as they are !

 

[Guigsy]

Are you sure it's deposit? Aren't commemorative coins silver plated with copper underneath?

 

[Nanniemate]

Pics please

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