Wheaties

EMGdetecting

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Feb 7, 2021
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I found these two (1911 & 1919) wheat pennies today. Every wheat penny especially older ones turn out like this after I clean them. they have that greenish foggy spotty color to them. When I add water back to the coin, it looks much better than when dry. I clean them by rinsing in water then scrubbing with a tooth brush. Is this incorrect or does everyone’s pennies look like this. Is there any way to take this color off and is there something I should be doing differently? Thanks!!


-Ethan
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anything of no value can go in a rock tumbler, cleans them right up.
I use steel shot, hot water and dawn soap in mine
 

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I tumble mine with aquarium gravel, water, a drop of dish soap, and a bit of Ajax powdered cleanser. My results were spotty until I started adding the Ajax. It really made the difference.
 
What’s left is the patina, removing it can possibly also remove a lot of detail. If you do decide to tumble, use a medium that’s not so abrasive, such as crushed walnut shells.
 
i tumble mine with aquarium gravel. but am going to another median like steel shot. ammonia works with gravel. and i just tried 4x dawn with good results on a modern brass chuckie cheese token. i also use Ajax bleach alternative with the grapefruit logo, its the pink bottle. and CLR on some. but it all depends on where i get my finds from. the soil does make a difference. and removing too much crude can show eaten up metal sometimes, like V nickels. sometimes they come up black and just rub the date and leave it. no value much like was just said, wont hurt to tumble dug pennies unless the rarer key dates. i do use walnut hulls too in a shell casing tumbler. again depends on condition and where dug. a sandy spot i hunt on big acreage that was a park, walnut will do. the red clay spots just destroy everything. i have a bunch of duplicate wheaties cleaned, picked out best ones and will recycle the rest at bank. How many 1956 D do you really need?

i say on a low value coin whatever works to make it look good and depends on keeper or coin roll turn in. turn some in, give a newbie or kid a shot at completing a book.
 
1911 and 1919, would still be "keepers" in my thinking. I used soft shells from peanuts like the old Planters peanuts, eat the pesnuts first for body colon fiber, then the empty soft shells, which will not scar or scatch the peanuts. But I soak them first in Worcester Sauce, it will dissolve the crud like you have. Then if the coins are still cruddy, the soft shells of the peanuts with water and some soft cleaner powder. Bonami if I spelled it right, is pretty soft. I used to sell all kinds of lapidary equipment, even Lortone. If new cast jewelry, I used casting jewelry metal and it polished the jewelry as well. Now Zinc pennies, I would used walnut shells or other peanut shell with water and and a polishing slurry. Just need to be clean for the bank to take them...
Melbeta
 
What’s left is the patina, removing it can possibly also remove a lot of detail. If you do decide to tumble, use a medium that’s not so abrasive, such as crushed walnut shells.


Thanks for the tip. Dry or wet walnut shells? Thanks.


-Ethan
 
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