Expert: Joe Hylas - 3/15/2007

Question
Hello Joe, its mike again.  I found some silver polish and tried it with only 1 coin.  It took the haze off the coins from using the Jeweluster but I heard that cleaning old coins too good makes them lose their value.  So, i don't know how far I should go with the cleaning.  The Jeweluster did not get all the gunk off unless I continued using it, and then it left the haze on the coins.

Answer
Hi Mike,
Jeweluster will only take off minor tarnish not heavy "Gunk".  If you try to remove the real heavy stuff, it will take it off but leaves the coin a dull gray.  The obviously had some bad problems befor ethe cleaning so you probably didn't do that much damage.
For the record, coins should only be in Jeweluster for under 20 seconds, then rinsed with clear waiter and patted dry.  Any rubbing leaves marks on the coin and lowers the value.
Polishing coins gives them an unnatural shine that collectors and dealers avoid.  Try not to do that if you can.

Regards
Joe