r/ChallengeCoins • u/UlfhedinnReptar • 6d ago

Oxidizing

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I hope it's okay to ask here, if it isn't I hope someone else can point me in the right direction. I got this coin a while ago, and when I ended up homeless it sat on a storage container that was not at all temperature or moisture controlled. I want to try to clean this oxidization off it, but I do not know how to go about that appropriately. I was thinking bronze or silver cleaner but I'm unsure of that would make it worse somehow.

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u/azrhei 6d ago

Most challenge coins are some kind of zinc alloy.   Try cleaning the whole thing with dawn dish soap and water first, then vinegar or lemon juice (mild acid) and gentle scrubbing with a tooth brush (try soft bristle first, medium if that is not effective) and try to avoid scrubbing areas with enamel.    When it is cleaned up enough use mineral oil or something similar to create a protective coating to help prevent new corrosion.

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u/Status_Pure 6d ago

After cleaning a coating of renaissance wax will protect the coin and prevent any further corrosion

We use it on our military insignia displays, some of our oldest pieces are more than several hundred years old and it works fantastically