SevenOneSix
Elite Member
Would you clean this?
Or should I stop thinking about it. Lol
Or should I stop thinking about it. Lol
Would you clean it? If so, how?
- Thread starter SevenOneSix
- Start date
Would you clean this?
Or should I stop thinking about it. Lol
First I would soak it in soapy water to loosen what ever in on it....then... am not sure
fuzzytexan
Forum Supporter
I think it's cool!
bruinvikes
Elite Member
I'd drop it in some olive oil for a few days then pick at it with a toothpick.
del
Elite Member
beautiful coin ! there is a method that would work to remove the hard "cement -like" green
Big Treble
Forum Supporter
Let it soak in distilled water for 48 hours. Pull it out and lay the coin in a freezer. Pull it out and clean under tap water, with either baby's toothbrush or tooth pick.
Acuva24
Full Member
Wow, that sucker is in INCREDIBLE condition. Be careful about that olive oil, it could make the coin very dark. Some people like that, but I personally do not. I probably would only pick at that stuff with a toothpick after the distilled water bath.
DIGGER27
In Memory Of
The green patina we see on older copper coins, most anything copper really is called verdigris....yours has gone way beyond that though and that dark stuff is corrosive in this amount.
Underneath the coin's surface is already etched and wrecked but most coin cleaning sites say there is one thing you might try.
Supposedly drugstores carry something called Vitrolin copper cleaning soap.
It comes in a liquid version for cleaning copper pans and I guess a less harsh soap infused with copper for use on humans.
A moist soft rag run over the soap and just dabbled on the bad parts might remove some of it...the harsher stuff might work or it might have undesired results.
I fear the coin is as good as it gets but it is yours to try.
A few more coin cleaning tips here...
http://www.metaldetectingworld.com/cleaning_preservation_coin.shtml
Underneath the coin's surface is already etched and wrecked but most coin cleaning sites say there is one thing you might try.
Supposedly drugstores carry something called Vitrolin copper cleaning soap.
It comes in a liquid version for cleaning copper pans and I guess a less harsh soap infused with copper for use on humans.
A moist soft rag run over the soap and just dabbled on the bad parts might remove some of it...the harsher stuff might work or it might have undesired results.
I fear the coin is as good as it gets but it is yours to try.
A few more coin cleaning tips here...
http://www.metaldetectingworld.com/cleaning_preservation_coin.shtml
del
Elite Member
Glennz
Elite Member
spit on it and scrub it with crumpled up tinfoil, it takes about 20 min per side give or take. It will leave original patina where the oxidation did not lift it. I had a wheat pennie looking worse than that and It came out looking like it came out of a crh. I don't have a before and after to show for and i only find 1 every 3 (i hope to break that trend). Some day i'll have a coin to show for.
Works great though and i would not hesitate for a second to do it on that coin.
Works great though and i would not hesitate for a second to do it on that coin.
amc rulz
Forum Supporter
I agree with those that suggest using distilled water. No oils, ever.
I will never again use even extra-virgin olive oil and making the same mistake over and over (darkening and long-term acidic etching) of copper/bronze coin. To many nice coins ruined.
I will never again use even extra-virgin olive oil and making the same mistake over and over (darkening and long-term acidic etching) of copper/bronze coin. To many nice coins ruined.
zach66604
Elite Member
i like it as is!
Crackerjack
Elite Member
I can't tell what that is on there, but it looks kind of like asphalt. If it is, you might try using some Zippo lighter fluid or Coleman white gas to loosen and clean it off. If it doesn't work, I defer to the advice of others, but whatever you do, don't use any abrasive technique that might scratch the coin.
Mick56
Senior Member
I've had some Indians with that hard verdigris. Even tumbling for hours did not take it all off.
Crackerjack
Elite Member
SevenOneSix
Elite Member
Thank you for all the replies. Today I decided to go with the distilled water freeze method. IMO this will do the least amount of damage to the coin. I'll post the progress from each freeze.
This pic shows the color comparison to a large cent that wasn't in the ground.
Front before freeze
Back before freeze
In frozen state.
This pic shows the color comparison to a large cent that wasn't in the ground.
Front before freeze
Back before freeze
In frozen state.
SevenOneSix
Elite Member
First freeze
Second freeze
Third freeze
Progress is being made. After each thaw I scrape the coin with a toothpick. Had to come back to Niagara Falls to paint a friend's bathroom. Looking forward to being back in Lockport tonight and seeing if this 18 hour freeze makes a difference than the 2 hour freezes I was doing.
Second freeze
Third freeze
Progress is being made. After each thaw I scrape the coin with a toothpick. Had to come back to Niagara Falls to paint a friend's bathroom. Looking forward to being back in Lockport tonight and seeing if this 18 hour freeze makes a difference than the 2 hour freezes I was doing.
SevenOneSix
Elite Member
Coin is still in the freezer from last night but I have to get ready and go to the Sabres game so I will post more pictures tomorrow. This method is very slow but I dont see any damage being done to the coin when I scrape it after each time it comes out of the freezer so I guess it doesnt really matter how long it takes. Slight change in color though but thats about it. I've got plenty of time before I can detect or even dig in the dump.
