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1977 Nickel With Large Flaking Copper Patches.

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Brandmeister's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  1:04 pm Show Profile   Check Brandmeister's eBay Listings Bookmark this topic Add Brandmeister to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
Not sure what to make of this bright coppery surface. An overnight soak in acetone did not affect the copper area, which seems to be flaking along the edges of the coin. It seems like legitimate copper migration to the surface. So what caused this phenomenon—organic acids, improper annealing, exposure to heat, chemical reaction?





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 Posted 04/29/2025  1:12 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add coin rejector to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Certainly appears as though it could be an annealing issue.... https://www.error-ref.com/improper-annealing/
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Hondo Boguss's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  1:12 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Hondo Boguss to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
It looks like staining to me.
Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
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Brandmeister's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  1:29 pm  Show Profile   Check Brandmeister's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add Brandmeister to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Hondo, can staining physically peel off the coin? I'm 90% confident that the substance is copper.
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nfine's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  2:06 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add nfine to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Looks like an annealing issue to me as well.
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jbuck's Avatar
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Brandmeister's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  2:25 pm  Show Profile   Check Brandmeister's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add Brandmeister to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
The devices are the reason that I'm cautious about calling this an annealing problem. Some of those devices (like EPU and the Monticello building) appear to show circulation wear, but no break in the copper. That suggests to me that some chemical process might have done this after a long period of circulation.
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Hondo Boguss's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  2:42 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Hondo Boguss to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
It's paint or something like that. I can't see how only half of the coin could be improperly annealed.
Also, notice how the orange color remains in recesses while nearby high points are CuNi color. This suggests to me that the staining has been worn off of those areas.
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Brandmeister's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  2:57 pm  Show Profile   Check Brandmeister's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add Brandmeister to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
I can't see how only half of the coin could be improperly annealed.


To my understanding, that happens all the time. For example:

https://www.pcgs.com/cert/40214825
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Cujohn's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  4:58 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Cujohn to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I'm in the staining camp.
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Errers and Varietys's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  4:58 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Errers and Varietys to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Very interesting find.
Errers and Varietys.
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 Posted 04/29/2025  5:19 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add oddguy to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Looks to me like it has been in a rusty tool box.
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 Posted 04/29/2025  5:25 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add halfamind to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I'm in the paint/stain camp, but I've been wrong many times. If you ever had a bulk TPG submission, you could send it in for grins.
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Marve65's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  5:57 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Marve65 to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Does acetone remove paint? Try that - won't harm the coins then
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Brandmeister's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  6:20 pm  Show Profile   Check Brandmeister's eBay Listings Bookmark this reply Add Brandmeister to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply

Quote:
An overnight soak in acetone did not affect the copper area, which seems to be flaking along the edges of the coin.

The coppery area is impervious to acetone.
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Dearborn's Avatar
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 Posted 04/29/2025  6:50 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Dearborn to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Maybe a science experiment? I mean the reverse is almost exactly half the coin is colored. maybe it was dipped?
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