Verdicare?

I believe Verdicare does this to coins - the before/after pictures sometimes look a bit lighter on the after side. A necessary sacrifice, I believe.

Perhaps post before/after pictures and wait for Thad to comment?

Oh, and if you no longer want your verdicare, a little birdy tells me a UK collector has been looking for some..

I have heard others comment that IHC's don't do as well as Lincolns do with Verdicare. Did you rub the coins to remove the verdigris? I think the coins should first be soaked in acetone before using Verdicare. This process of soaking may take weeks/months depending on how bad the verdigris is. The acetone gives coins a dryed out look and I have also noticed Verdicare brings the gloss back to the coin.

Carmykle, a little of both. I set the coin on a paper towel (before anyone freaks out, this was to protect my nightstand from Verdicare--not to rub the coin with), then dotted Verdicare all over the top until it was puddled. After 15-20 minutes I soaked up the excess with one Q-tip, then very gently rubbed in the recommended circular motion with the other. A whooooooooole bunch of crap came off. Rinse (figuratively) and repeat, four times with the longest soak time being an hour. I'd say about 90% of the verdigris is gone, and what remains is all in hard-to-reach areas like the points between the headdress.

Ben: I'm keeping mine at least for now because I have quite a few coins that are seriously getting their verdigris on, but I got the big bottle, so if there's any left when I'm done you'll be the first to know.

John: I may well do that. Got some mid-treatment photos just now, uploading as I type. As I said, it doesn't look bad and actually looks pretty good--but certainly startling.

MDS, I didn't use acetone--that stuff scares me, especially since I work indoors (trust: you do NOT want your coins sitting outside in the Arizona dust). I have some nasties due for an acetone soak when I get to Houston, though, and I may save my older IHC until I can use the stuff.

Jbuck, looking at where I can still see it--inside the closed spaces in letters on the reverse--I think you may be right.


For your viewing edification: after pictures. (Sorry--I have no befores.) Imagine the whole thing about three shades darker and growing a big dark green beard. For reference? I have eight Q-tips sitting here coated in green crap, and as you can see there are still dots of it here and there that are going to require a good soaking. When you look at the reverse, take a close look at the tops of the wreath--that gold-red colour is what was underneath giant patches of verdigris. Unexpected colour change or not, I think this one can safely be moved out of my "Rescued Natives tribe" and into the "any beginner would be proud to own this" category.

When you soak a coin in acetone you need to use a glass container with a lid. If you don't have a lid the acetone will quickly evaporate. I use an old mason jar and I use a paint stir stick to remove the coin. I do all this in my garage (attached to my house).

ninamason,
Thanks for posting the pic. It looks real nice. Be extra careful with the toothpick,they can scratch.
John1

mcshilling, thank you! I've already picked out some of the grime with the top of a straight pin--one of the ones with the teensy metal heads that have rounded edges. If you're careful to not touch the coin itself, this seems to work well. I used to use 'em for holding tiny bits of models in place when I built miniatures; I'm very familiar with using them for delicate work.

MDS, I'll have to see if my sis and bro-in-law are okay with me setting up a small worktable in their garage. Right now I live in a four-room apartment, so that's . . . not really happening. But all in good time, my pretty, as the green lady said.

Dave, it's all good. I'm wishing I'd taken a Before--how sweet would this look for Thad? It's incredible what was under there, undamaged!

John, thank you, and noted! If I switch over to toothpicks I will do that.

Upstate: I did another rub with a Q-Tip tonight and watched more "patina" lift. It's a shame that wasn't the true colour--it was, indeed, very beautiful--but I'm glad to have the lovely lady getting herself a bath.

Thanks for providing feedback on your VC experience!

As other experienced users have indicated, the true patina was hidden under a layer of gunk. VC simply removed what didn't belong.

Also, as others have stated, you have to very careful not to rub so hard that you take off the patina. I've had a couple coins that I got too aggressive with using a toothpick and rubbed off the brown in spots. It happens, it's all about the learning experience. The more you use VC, the better you'll get at conservation.