Post Your Pictures Of Low Mintage Coins In Terrible Condition

It is a New Zealand Sixpence of the King George V era, meaning it dates from 1933 to 1936, I recognise the Huia and Kruger Grey portrait of the king in his robe, here is what it should look like.

He certainly is.

Here is what it looks like after a four day soak and a wipe down with a tissue. (The solution turns blue due to the copper (II) ions)




Still junk silver, but what an improvement. Pity it wasn't a 1935.

Thanks Sap for the tip.

I work in a laboratory so I have access to all sorts of chemicals. Disodium EDTA is a solid. Just dissolve it in water. I made about a 3% w/w solution.

As Sap said in his thread, if you used it on a pure copper coin the whole thing might dissolve.

Apparently EDTA is a common food additive. If it does what I showed above to a coin, imagine what it does to your stomach. Luckily stomachs aren't made of heavy metals.

Amazing, the coin is fine, not junk silver. Worth about twice melt.

Also the 1935 Threepence is rare, not the Sixpence which like most KGV is scarce in VF+ and rare in UNC, but common in Fine or lower condition.

PS: Tane is my real name.

I let out an audible "Yuck!" when I held this 2017 100 years of ANZAC coin (mintage 1.9 million) in my hand.

Pair of 2014 AIATSIS (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Studies) 50c. Mintage 3 million.

And here's a 2017 Mabo 50 cent coin (mintage 1.4 million). They are hard to come by in my neck of the woods so I'd prefer them to not look like this:

1993 fifty cent (still Australia's lowest mintage 50 cent)