Please help

Jare

Full Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2015
Messages
136
Location
wichita falls texas
Ok, sorry about the urgent title, but I am quite impatient to see what this find could be. It was found at a possible 1800s location, and it is slightly larger than a penny. I know the pictures included don't really help, because the coin was found in the water, and is blackened. I don't know how to clean coins found at the beach, and I haven't even ran it under water, for fear of damaging it further. Does anyone know the best way to clean this? Thanks, Jare.
 

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Well, there is a section of the forum titled "How to clean your finds" or something like that...
If it is copper, you can soak it in olive oil and pick at it with a toothpick - this will cause no harm.
In order to help ID it, you should tell us how it rang up and on which machine.
Also the diameter is very helpful:D
 
I thought I posted this in "how to clean your finds"? Idk, I'm bad at using the forum 😂.. thanks for the tip about the olive oil, ill try it. As for machine numbers, I was using the bounty Hunter tk4, which gives absolutely no info 😂
 
Try using a toothpick to get rid of the crud. It that doesn't work get a brass wire brush & gently scrub it. If it's the size of a nickel then my guess it's a Buffalo nickel.
 
Hmm. I can clearly tell its a v-nickel, but the date area is caked with dirt, and the toothpick and brush could not remove it. Could I use water on this coin, or would it rub off the detail?
 
If its been in the ground for almost 100 years or so water isn't going to hurt it at all. Try a soap & hot water bath for an hour to see if that helps loosen the crud.

Hmm. I can clearly tell its a v-nickel, but the date area is caked with dirt, and the toothpick and brush could not remove it. Could I use water on this coin, or would it rub off the detail?
 
Olive oil is the last thing you want to use on that coin. Not only will it darken copper, olive oil is organic and acidic. Over time it will eat away at the metal, and leave it greasy.

It's possible that the coin is beyond help, but I like to use the petroleum jelly - Qtip method. That coin may need electrolysis to remove the crud.
 
If I found it, I would soak it in plain water with one or two drops of dish soap, for a minimum of two or three days. Then remove it, wash it in tap water and rub it gently to see if material is releasing.
You can use a toothpick to try and lift the coating off the coin. Also, you can try soaking it in water and then freezing it in a freezer for a few days.
Sometimes that will loosen the crud when it expands on freezing on the coin. Then you can pick it off. Be careful not to overclean it.
Good Luck :thumbsup:
 
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