Attempting A Conservation Of A Zinc Belgium 1 Franc Coin.

Thanks Albert and Joe!
In a few hours, I'll be ready to post up another image - I'm starting to se the grey color of the zinc planchet and not the black corrosion anymore..

So I'm thinking that the split background is presenting the best natural color of the coin..

thank you ijn

I don't think it can get much better than this.

Now coat it in some clear nail varnish, so it doesn't go black again.

Verdicare would definitely be good as a sealant, IMO. So would be microcristalline wax or paraloid..?

Though, as far as I understand.. zinc rot happens within the coin itself (zinc made during war periods was very low quality and metals were mixed with impurities and such). So, even if a sealant is applied, it would bubble out again with zinc oxide (the white powder which this treatment removed).

Throwing ideas around.. I am also not sure if the sealant would be beneficial (less air, less oxidation) or detrimental (if moisture is trapped under it, it won't be able to evaporate and thus speed up the process). For these reasons I probably would apply a sealant only after thoroughly drying the coin over many days.

It shouldn't. Zinc oxide cannot form unless oxygen gets to it somehow. Sealing the coin off completely with wax or similar ought to help preserve it, but even just putting it in a 2x2 should help.

If you've used dilute acid (the modern CLR formulation is a mixture of organic acids like lactic acid and a surfactant), make sure to give the coin a thorough rinse in distilled/deionized water afterwards. un-rinsed residual acid left behind on the surface will definitely leave the coin looking worse.

Looking good!