Cleaning Metal Detector Coin Finds

I am frequently asked what is the best way to clean my metal detector coin finds? I am as adamant today as I was 40 years ago. If the coin has potential numismatic value, do not clean it. I repeat-DO NOT CLEAN IT! Cleaning a valuable coin will greatly lessen its value permanently. However, many metal detector coin finds can be cleaned to enhance putting them back into circulation. I have given several methods for cleaning coins in previous articles and here a few more simple methods that anyone can use.

Clad Coins are the easiest coins to clean. If you make a mistake and they look bad, who cares? They are still spendable. I use my tumbler for cleaning clads. I have a double unit and fill the first tumbler about half full with quarters and dimes and nickels and add water about a inch above the coins. Several commercial cleaning agents can be used but my favorite cleaner is ivory soap. I slice a small bar up and put several slices in with the coins and let the tumbler do its job. I half fill the other unit with clad cents and clean in the same manner. This will take the dirt off of them but not stains. To clean stains, I soak the coins in a cup of white vinegar and a tablespoon of table salt. It is best to soak them overnight. Afterwards, I put them back into the tumbler one more time. The pennies come out good enough to return them to circulation. Never put copper cents into the tumbler with clads, as the nickels, dimes, and quarters will come out a copper color.

Common date wheat pennies also can be cleaned in a tumbler. Some will come out looking pretty good but badly encrusted coins will not be enhanced my tumbling. I take joy in putting the old cleaned wheats into the hands of young children in my ministry. I also use them in my Easter Sunday metal detector plastic egg hunts. The children have a blast finding the eggs with coins in them and many have never seen a wheat cent before and I get to share coin history with them. I have had some good success using Dell Darkener on some valuable copper coins finds to restore them to a natural tone after cleaning.

Cleaning common date silver coin finds is easy for the most part. I use a soft toothbrush with warm water and soap. This is usually enough to enhance the appearance of the coin. Many silver coins come out of the ground encrusted or stained and electrolysis or the vinegar soaking method might be needed. These methods might leave them with a dull silver color and an application of Wrights Silver Cream will return them back to a bright color. I would not use this cream for valuable silver coins as the value will decline. I sell a lot of silver metal detector finds as coin jewelry pendant sets and this cream is great for making good to fine condition coins look great as jewelry pieces.

For the most part, I will not clean older non-silver metal detector finds. Buffalo Nickels, V Nickels, Shield Nickels, Indian, Flying Eagle and Large Cents should not be cleaned by any of these methods as value will be destroyed. Never use bleach, gasoline, ammonia or other household cleaners on coins. Likewise, no acids, and I mean no acids should be used on coins. Remember, NEVER CLEAN VALUABLE COINS!

Selecting Metal Detectors - 4 Critical Points to Selecting Your Metal Detector

Some Other Uses of Metal Detector
Nowadays, even jail uses metal detectors to search for hand-made weapons underground to help filter out violence and school uses it to search for prohibited items within the school. Metal detectors can easily detect weapons made of metals, such as knife or gun. Police stations, airports, railway stations, ferry terminals, use metal detectors as well.

1) Get some professional advice
Getting advice from people who are the known authorities in the field of metal detectors is one of the best ways to buy your Metal Detectors right the first time. Although needless to say, families and friends are also good sources of getting information abut metal detectors but they might not be as updated as the experts in the field are. Try to get the best device possible information from the experts themselves, first-hand.

2) Consider durability
You ought to buy a metal detector that could at least withstand normal wear and tear longer. The longer the metal detector can serve you, the better your return on investment will be.

3) Consider accuracy
The metal detector has to perform very well at delivering accurate detection. I am sure you don't want to be wasting time digging trash out from the ground. A metal Detector should be able to spot treasures at once and also in a very precise manner. Well, this point is considered one of the most important point as we all knows that, it is the main job of the metal detector out in the field. If it can't even detect small objects like jewelry, as it should, then it is not worth buying, no matter how cheap the metal detector seemed to be.

4) Get the most adaptable one
The ability for the metal detector to be upgradeable is very important. Devices should be able to mount or added onto the metal detector to improve the performance of the metal detector. Do not ever buy a metal detector that is not upgradeable, you would regret after that if you buy one of those kinds. The more devices able to be changed along the way to improve the performance, the better the buy is. I recommend Bounty Hunter or Whites metal detector.

Metal Detectors Online

Shopping online for a metal detector helps to research and compare various types of metal detectors. Customers can compare different brands and models of metal detectors. Online shopping of metal detectors depends on various factors. They are price, selection, customer service, shipping and warranty.

Price is an important factor in online shopping. Most sites provide a price list for metal detectors. Some sites offer price discounts. Online shops allow the customer to select different products and set the price range. Customers can compare the prices of different metal detectors using this price range. Some sites provide free accessories along with metal detectors. There are discounts on bulk orders of accessories. Customers can select used metal detectors from online shops. Used metal detectors come with special discounts. The selection of the right metal detector is very important. Certain sites carry only a particular brand. Others display a wide range of metal detectors from different companies.

A few sites provide the field test reports of metal detectors. The customer can select the best brand by analyzing these reports. Most sites record reviews about their products. This helps to view the rating of a particular metal detector. Customers can request brochures of metal detectors online. For this, he has to fill the online brochure request form. But most free brochures are offered within a country. Customers abroad can get details of particular metal detectors through the hotline help.

Various online shops accept payment by credit card, charge card, cash, cheque and payment on delivery. Some online shops offer interest free credit over extended repayment periods. The facilities vary depending on the country. The customer has to check all these aspects before ordering metal detectors online.

Plenty of metal detector online shops provide customer service. Customers may contact online metal detector stores by email, chat or over the phone. After comparing costs, selection and customer service, a customer has to compare the shipping cost for metal detectors. Shipping costs vary with each online metal detector shop. Some sites include shipping cost in their price, while others charge extra for the same. Most metal detectors are insured. The guarantee period is based on the brand. Customers also have to check the warranty period and cost of labor for metal detectors. Delivery charges and time also depend on the country.

Why not buy a Used Metal Detector?

Metal detectors are the sort of things that will catch the fancy of little kids wanting to be scientists. Science television series or movies always has a thing or two about magnets and how it is so cool that nails get attached to them or on a more complex note how magnets can actually move an entire land mass.

These sorts of things ignite a certain degree of curiosity to young kids watching which is actually good because that means there is a bright future to the world of science. As time goes by technology sets in and magnets are not just the U-shaped objects during science class. Now magnets can be part of a new device without being obvious like metal detectors.

Metal detectors are like magnets because these devices can detect metal objects like guns and anything else that should be detected that maybe parts of weapons of destruction whether small scale or big scale.

The usefulness of metal detectors is the reason why establishments, big and small alike, invest in things like walk through metal detector doors or hand held metal detectors. Just like spy cameras, these metal detectors makes it more comfortable for the owner to ensure the safety of his or her customers.

With the many bad things happening in the world though even the though of having metal detectors at homes or at private offices is becoming a trend. One cannot blame people if they want to be extra careful. These are signs of times and either you ignore it or cope with it by thinking up of your own safety measures.

Most people though cannot exactly afford to buy metal detectors so they resort to improvising which is not at all a bad idea unless you have a better option. The better option being presented is buying used metal detectors instead of going through the hassle of making one.

One can find used metal detectors at detector depots. There are supplies stores that sell demo metal directors which are also classified as used metal detectors. Buying a used metal detector is just like buying anything second hand.

There is no assurance the used metal detector you are able to purchase will function perfectly but it will do. If you are patient enough though, you might be able to find a used metal detector with a performance quality nearly the same as a newly bought one.