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 Replies: 28 / Views: 3,922 |
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Valued Member
Puerto Rico
92 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2651 Posts |
You definitely shouldn't clean a coin. There are ways to "preserve" a coin properly. Someone knowledgeable in coin conservation will reply soon I am sure. Just be patient and don't act hastily and hurt your coin. Very nice find!
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Valued Member
 Puerto Rico
92 Posts |
I know that one should never clean a coin but I've heard that acetone doesn't count as cleaning a coin in the sense coin collectors use the term because it doesn't hurt it. Thank you Jay!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2651 Posts |
There is a proper way to use Acetone to preserve a coin. I think there are a few posts on coin conservation. I would use the search function near the top of this page and start reading up. There is a lot of information on this site and there are several ways to preserve a coin. I am not well versed in preservation so I really have no other advice than that. Search and/or wait for others to replay.
That is a sweet CRH find...that beats my oldest find by over 10 years!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
Personally, I would give it an acetone bath. It may or may not remove the substance. You must realize, however, that if that gunk has been there a while the toning underneath could be a much different color than the rest of the coin. Leaving a very obviously cleaned coin. But, even a cleaned coin would be more attractive than what you have now...imo.
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Valued Member
Puerto Rico
92 Posts |
amida17: Yes, that was another concern. I once saw a guy on YouTube who had a coin with similar gunk on it and when he cleaned it off the parts under the gunk were much shinier than the rest of the coin. However, the coin as it sits now is very unappealing due to the amount of gunk stuck to it. If it were a small amount I would probably not even consider dipping it in anything. Thank you for your point.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1053 Posts |
True: a bright shiny spot would be more attractive than it's current state; nevertheless, I have always been carefully instructed to NEVER clean a coin with something acidic.
Great find though!
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Rest in Peace
United States
4078 Posts |
 with Amida17 Quote:
Personally, I would give it an acetone bath. Also agree with his mentioned points why. Edited by bpoc1
07/25/2013 3:46 pm
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Valued Member
United States
395 Posts |
I think a good point has been brought up though... While its forever drilled in your head not to clean a coin, considering that ones current state what harm can it really do? Either it will come out OK (not likely), leave discoloration or gunk will not come off... I dont think its possible to do more harm in this case. If this coin were in my hands, I would likely return it to the wild... actually I would attempt to get the gunk off and then return it :) Unless it came out partially OK and if I didnt already have some then Id flip it. NOTE: I actually wouldnt clean this coin (I would release it), but I'm simply offering an alternative thought and attempt at humor as my gut tells me this coin is getting cleaned ;)
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Valued Member
Puerto Rico
92 Posts |
1962penny: I have also heard that because it apparently destroys the penny's original surface, making it look dull and unattractive but apparently acetone doesn't react with the metal so it doesn't make it look shiny, it just takes off the gunk. I don't know if that is true though.. Any opinions would be appreciated though.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1109 Posts |
I'd dip it in acetone. As stated before, even if the coin ends up revealing shiny luster or something underneath that gunk, it would be far more appealing than the gunk itself. A Band-Aid looks better than a cast.
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Valued Member
Puerto Rico
92 Posts |
JJHFL: hahaha  I would never release it back to the wild, are you crazy? LOL . This coin will still fill a hole in my dansco regardless of whether I decide to clean it or not. I should make a poll to see if people think I should clean it or leave it as it is  |
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Valued Member
United States
395 Posts |
To add to my last statement, if you dont have one I would keep it since it isn't an easy one to find in the wild, and its in OK condition (barring the gunk). What I would do if I were you since it sounds like you havent used acetone before is try it on a common coin to see how it reacts and turns out. That way you can experiment on something common, and not on the 1913 until you are familiar with how it reacts and what it does. Also, be careful with acetone and read up well on how to use and handle it.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
Acetone is not an acid pH 7 same as pure water. Acetone will not strip luster of a coin. Play around with some face value coins first. Before someone chimes in, there is a way to make acetone reactive with copper. With the right amount of water vapor and direct sunlight in the mix. From what I've read this reaction is very hard to make occur. I have never had an issue using acetone. All my coins get a bath before going into an album or flip. I do this to dehydrate the surface of the coin before storage.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
607 Posts |
I say clean it with some acetone you honestly have nothing to loose especially if you plan on keeping it.
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Valued Member
United States
317 Posts |
Just me, but since that's a very desirable coin, wouldn't it be best to send off to ncs and let them see what they can do to conserve it and grade it?
If the conservation gets a little pricey that would still be a very nice item in your collection and would appreciate over time.
That seems like a big project anyway, I wouldn't try to experiment on that coin.
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Replies: 28 / Views: 3,922 |
Posted 07/25/2013 1:44 pm
