Indian Heads,Merc's, silver pennys & Dimes. Never used a Metal Detector :-0

awsomeears · Apr 10, 2006

Ok I haven't even purchased my MD yet and I already have a bunch of merc's and Indian heads and some other coins.

My grandmas mother had allot of coins in a tobacco jar and she passed 12 years ago or so and I received some coins.

I have the following Indian heads :

1884
1894
1885
1886
1887 2 of them
1888 2 of them
1902 3 of them
1903
1904 3 of them
1905
1906
1907

Some silver Penny's

Some old Penny's 1909 - 1947

Some silver dimes

Some silver quarters

And the worst part is I just sold my digital camera so I have no pictures for you

I'll be getting a camera in a week or so.

The reason I posted this is mainly boredom

actually the other reason is that I was reading a post about somebody dug up a Indian head and people said it was in good condition and it was worth 7.00 all the way up to 1,000 or so.

So then my mind clicked " Hey I have some coins in the closet "

ha ha

Most of the Indian heads I have are in Great condition, probably one of them is in SWEET condition.

How can I clean these up the PROPER WAY.

trobaughokc · Apr 10, 2006

You'll probably be hearing from some of our more experienced coin guys, but I believe the concensus will be DON'T CLEAN THEM

.

Driveway · Apr 11, 2006

Yes, your best bet is to leave them in "as-is" condition. If do some searching online for the dates of the coin, maybe you have a "key date". Which is a coin thats rare.

If you do have something thats worth something, hold the coin by the edges of course and put in something safe. Maybe get yourself some coin flips, they are cheap.

And those "silver" pennys are steel pennys. :lol:

Good luck when you get your new detector! - David

Xray · Apr 11, 2006

Yeah, there really is no proper way to clean a coin, especially copper.
Any attempt will be instantly recognized by a collector, and will serverely detract from its value [yes, a collector will pay more for a dirty, uncleaned coin than a spiffy looking cleaned coin].
Expect from 30% to 75% less for a whizzed coin, unless its a key date, in which case the value will still be reduced but perhaps up to 25% or so.
Of course, one might argue that they want to please themselves, and don't plan on selling and thus don't care .. Which is true - But some day, someone will inherit those coins, and they will be thinking, crap ... Why did he have to clean these coins ?
The most I do to my finds are a dip in soap and water and a light toothbrushing to remove crud.

smg · Apr 11, 2006

If you have a 1909s penny you may be in luck, the silver pennies are 1943,I do believe, They are zinc coated steel, , but they did make some copper ones worth a fortune. I had the same experience around x-mas. My Mother sent me a big box and said my grandfather was an avid coin collector. I never had a clue, but I got some real gems in the mix. Like Trob said, don't clean them, it only takes away the coins worth.
Warm soapy water and a toothbrush, soak them and the toothbrush may get any crud in where the lettering is. I hope you have areal winner, To me they all are. smg

Rhubarb · Apr 11, 2006

You have a good list of coin's. I wouldn't clean them at all. If you look at the 1888 Indian check to see if a 7 is visable it could be a mint error.

On the 1909 if there is a s under the 1909, also check the reverse, at the beginning of the stalk's on the very edge of the rim, check to see if a vdb is present.

These 2 are valuable.

When you get your camera post your picture's it would be great to see them.

Rhubarb

awsomeears · Apr 11, 2006

Rhubarb said:
You have a good list of coin's. I wouldn't clean them at all. If you look at the 1888 Indian check to see if a 7 is visable it could be a mint error.

On the 1909 if there is a s under the 1909, also check the reverse, at the beginning of the stalk's on the very edge of the rim, check to see if a vdb is present.

These 2 are valuable.

When you get your camera post your picture's it would be great to see them.

Rhubarb

Both 1909's have nothing on the back or front. But I have some that have a D under it. What does D stand for.

Also what letters are all out there under the Date ?

Man this is fun stuff. History that is

l.cutler · Apr 12, 2006

Definitely do not clean them. While none you list are especially valuable, all have collector value. You would need to grade them properly to really determine the value, unfortunately great and sweet are not real conditions! Condition is determined by the amount of wear on the details of the coin, any damage such as scratches, cleaning, rim dings, etc. There is also the chance of mint errors or rarer die varieties to add value. The best advice would be to learn as much as you can, knowledge is definitely the key here. If you are interested in coins, buy some books, visit coin dealers, maybe even join a club. It really is a great hobby I have enjoyed for over 35 years. Have fun!

Treasurekidd · Apr 12, 2006

Sounds like you have the start of a great collection. I agree with the others, DO NOT CLEAN THEM! Cleaning will ruin them. Keep them the way they are, and put them in protective coin holders to keep them away from the oxidizing air. Good luck when you get that detector!

Rhubarb · Apr 12, 2006

Here is a website that will help you get started.

http://www.pennies.org/history/two.html

Good luck with your collection.

Rhubarb

Indian Heads,Merc's, silver pennys & Dimes. Never used a Metal Detector :-0

awsomeears

New Member

trobaughokc

Full Member

Driveway

New Member

Xray

smg

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Rhubarb

awsomeears

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l.cutler

Full Member

Treasurekidd

Elite Member

Rhubarb

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