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 Replies: 16 / Views: 4,862 |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3098 Posts |
I hadn't had an opportunity to get out detecting for a couple of weeks so this morning, after I dropped my daughter off at UW-Milwaukee, I went to an old park a few blocks from the university. The park sits on a hill overlooking Lake Michigan a short distance north of downtown Milwaukee. I've hunted there a few times and the only interesting finds had been a silver Roosevelt and a silver ring. The grassy areas of the park have obviously been heavily detected. I found an old dirt path leading down a hill and spent most of my time searching it. I found a grand total of twelve coins; all of them cents. There were eight Memorials, three Wheaties from the 1940s and 1950s and one beautiful 1900 Indian Head cent. I found it about twenty feet off the trail only two or three inches down. I've posted the "Before" and "After" photos of the coin. It cleaned up very nicely after a short soak in hydrogen peroxide and some light work with a soft nylon brush. I've been metal detecting since early 2012 and this is only the fifth Indian Head cent I have found.     Paul Bulgerin
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3058 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3540 Posts |
Unreal!
Great find indeed!!
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Valued Member
United States
441 Posts |
Congrats! I love seeing the dirt fishing finds.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1602 Posts |
Wow, that did clean up nicely!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4333 Posts |
Nice restoration, congrats!
When I listen to LED ZEPPELIN...so do my neighbors...
Roll hunting since '77
Dirt fishing since '72
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New Member
United States
43 Posts |
 So cooool. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
Exceptional recovery. You really made that Indian look good.
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Valued Member
United States
265 Posts |
great find. If you don't mind me asking, what method did you use to get it to look so good?
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3098 Posts |
I soaked it in water and later hydrogen peroxide and used a nylon brush to remove excess dirt.
I sometimes also use bamboo skewers to rub off dirt without harming the coin.
Paul Bulgerin
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Valued Member
United States
265 Posts |
Is it possible to mess up the coin using peroxide? I ask because I also found an Indian head yesterday that I have soaking in extra virgin Olive oil. I'd like to try peroxide but I'm afraid my IHC may be a bit too corroded for it. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
17900 Posts |
Olive oil is the safest but you have to have incredible patience.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3098 Posts |
I've never had issues with hydrogen peroxide. I use the type you can purchase at a drug store. I don't need to soak coins for long as the peroxide does a good job of loosening up dirt.
I don't find any coins detecting that have the hard dirt accumulations you can find on ancient coins. I also collect ancients and have cleaned hundreds of them.
Paul Bulgerin
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4333 Posts |
I no longer use (boiling) peroxide, after more than a dozen times I've decided it darkens the coppers too much for my liking. I ruined a beautiful 2-cent piece because it became so dark I could no longer see the detail and it was near AU when I dug it. Same with my large cents. Too dark.
No way will I every use even extra-virgin olive oil, as over time it will slowly eat away at the coin. Olive oil is acidic. A better choice would be mineral oil.
I use the petroleum jelly/q-tip method to restore my copper coins.
Just my 2 cents
When I listen to LED ZEPPELIN...so do my neighbors...
Roll hunting since '77
Dirt fishing since '72
Edited by fistfulladirt
11/07/2016 5:22 pm
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Valued Member
United States
265 Posts |
I'm so glad I signed up for the forum. All the pics, tips, and finds I'm seeing are very informative and entertaining. Sorry in advance if I derail anyone's thread asking questions.
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Valued Member
United States
469 Posts |
Your before and after pics are great. A lot to be found under that dirt :)
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Replies: 16 / Views: 4,862 |
Posted 09/13/2016 12:28 am
