Need help cleaning ancient coins - Ive been soaking them in oil and every 2-3days brush them with a toothbrush

Question

Im confused how do you know whats the patina and whats dirt? would the pitina hide the image? cause the coins most are a shiny brown-black color and I cant see the image in any of them but one which is green/brown but still cant really see the image well? Does it take longer are they bad coins ANY HELP PLEASE

Answer 1

Yes, the patina hides the image often (not always, but often). In some coins it is greenish (like in copper coins), and on others it is the shiny color. I got a few Roman/Byzantine like this. And yes, you're not supposed to get the patina off. They're actually worth more with it on. And it sounds like you're down to the patina. If you've done the work (not extreme--if you did the vinegar soak or anything, it would clean the patina, but would make the coin worth less---and collectors can tell by the size of the image) and it's still there, you are probably down to where you should be.
It is possible that they are "bad" coins. But I've found that a lof of the coins are about worth the same--probably about what you paid for them (I got mine on Ebay for $2.00 each), but it's really cool to be holding a piece of history right in your hands. However, if it was for your own self and not for the sake of having valuable coins, you might clean the patina on a couple of them. It's fun to see the image (though with many coins if you clean the patina it turns out that the image is just as difficult to see without the patina there).
Your coins with the brown-black patina do sound like silver from what I know (or at least the silver coin I had had the same patina on it). So that's cool.

Answer 2

tooth paste, works on your teeth removing tartar and calcium deposits same with coins.

Answer 3

we soak old coins in vinegar.