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 Replies: 24 / Views: 3,415 |
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Valued Member
United States
232 Posts |
Searching through rolls of coins it is not that uncommon to find cents that are 20+ years old that are still red. I don't know if that just means it has not circulated much, but they are not that hard to find if you are on the look out for them (and look through a bunch of rolls).
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Pillar of the Community
United States
613 Posts |
I find 80s coins all the time in a red state. My assumption has always been that that particular coin is only seeing it 2nd, third or fourth use in its life after having spent the majority of the past thirty years in a jar or otherwise in storage.
Anyone: when retail banks get loads of pennies, do they very quickly circulate back out? Is there anywhere where mixed pennies coming in from the public wind up warehoused for a few years before they go back out?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1436 Posts |
Coins tone at different rates based on the 3 "H"s... heat (temperature), humidity & handling. I had some coins that were put on a shelf in our spare bathroom that toned VERY quickly. If they're not exposed to the 3 "H"s, they will tone at a much slower rate
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CCF Sponsor
United States
702 Posts |
I find mint red coins from up to a couple of decades ago in circulation with some regularity. They're not always nice, but they're out there. I found a couple of '64s the other day walking around Pasadena. Somebody had recently stepped on them, but they were beautiful mint red.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Coins tone at different rates based on the 3 "H"s... heat (temperature), humidity & handling. I had some coins that were put on a shelf in our spare bathroom that toned VERY quickly. If they're not exposed to the 3 "H"s, they will tone at a much slower rate Almost. However although temperatures do effect the rate of chemical reactions, there are other factors that are more important. When Copper is exposed to moist air it first becomes coated with a thin layer of Cuprous Oxide (Cu2O) which appears sort of a brownish tint. With additional Oxigen and moisture, this process continues to darken the Copper. If a dull greenish appearance occurs, it is usually due to the presence of more moisture (H OH) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2). (H OH) although most say H2O is in reality Hydrogen Hydroxide or water. If there is suffiecient Carbon Dioxide, moisture in the invironment, it will react with the Cuprous Oxide on the Copper Coins to produce [CuCO3-Cu(OH)2] otherwise noted as Copper Carbonate. The so called handling has little to do with toning. Handling of a coin usually puts oils and acids from a person's body on a coin. Oxygen is our main culprit. |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
[CuCO3-Cu(OH)2] is a double salt of copper and is AKA copper hydroxycarbonate, AKA verdigris.
A thin even layer on an ancient bronze coin can enhance the value, but when
it is occurs in pits in the surface, 'copper disease' is the cause, and some serious chemistry is required to prevent further damage.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19964 Posts |
It's all in the storage conditions and handling. Later in 2009 I was finding some of the 2009 in circulation were browning. When you find full red coins in circulation today, it's because they were stored well and rarely handled. A lot of folks toss coins in with other coins. If the cent was surrounded by these, they are can act as "sacrificial" metals absorbing airborne contaminants and protecting the cent.
You also have to consider collections getting dumped. Seems a lot of people just unload collections to banks, coin stars, etc. and sometimes a lucky collector finds them.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19964 Posts |
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The so called handling has little to do with toning. I have to disagree with that Carl. Finger oils and other contaminants introduced from handling is what imparts the deep brown color on circulated cents. Oxidation will darken a coin but alone it will not turn it full brown. Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19964 Posts |
Quote:
[CuCO3-Cu(OH)2] is a double salt of copper and is AKA copper hydroxycarbonate, AKA verdigris. While that is one form of verdigris, the chemical composition of verdigris is far more complex than that. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19964 Posts |
Quote:
when
it is occurs in pits in the surface, 'copper disease' is the cause, and some serious chemistry is required to prevent further damage. I really, really hate the term "disease" or "bronze disease", it is completely incorrect. There is no biological disease process at work. It is simply a chemical reaction. Most of the problem developed with the use of PVC holders which eventually degrade to produce HCl (hydrochloric acid). The reaction of copper with HCl produces copper chloride (verdigris) and the reaction is self sustaining with exposure to oxygen and water. It doesn't require "serious chemistry" to address the problem. The first step would be to neutralize the HCl with base and then dehydrate the verdigris it with acetone. If the coin is then stored properly, the reaction will not continue at a significant rate. Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
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I have to disagree with that Carl. Finger oils and other contaminants introduced from handling is what imparts the deep brown color on circulated cents. Oxidation will darken a coin but alone it will not turn it full brown. Guess I'll have to agree to a point with that. Not the oils though since most body oils don't do to much to metals unless they are strong. Body acids and other contaminates do mess up any coins though. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
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I really, really hate the term "disease" or "bronze disease", it is completely incorrect. There is no biological disease process at work. It is simply a chemical reaction. And that is almost like saying don't say PENNY. A long time ago people started saying Bronse Disease and just like the terminology of PENNY, it gets used over and over and over. And now to attempt to get people to say Chemical Reaction is just like getting the entire world to say CENT. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19964 Posts |
LOL! Then just call it CORROSION.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7840 Posts |
"I had some coins that were put on a shelf in our spare bathroom that toned VERY quickly." 
Edited by oih82w8
12/14/2012 09:20 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2273 Posts |
Quote:
Anyone: when retail banks get loads of pennies, do they very quickly circulate back out? Is there anywhere where mixed pennies coming in from the public wind up warehoused for a few years before they go back out? Pennies are the one coin that would rarely sit in FED storage. Other denominations actually circulate so when people have a net dishoarding when the economy turns down many of these are not recovered since they have been discarded or lost. Normally no coin sits in storage over three years but it will be much lower for pennies. Of course billions of pennies will sit in piggy banks and change jars for very long periods. It's just the lack of circulation that allows old red cents in change not government storage. Time don't fly, it bounds and leaps.
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Posted 12/11/2012 12:07 pm
