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 Replies: 30 / Views: 6,887 |
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New Member
United States
12 Posts |
Hi, I have 2 2004-d Wisconsin low leaf error coins. They have been encapsulated for 10 years. I worked at a bank in Dallas in early 2005 when the error was discovered and bought $10 roll each day at lunch. I ended up finding 2 of the low leaf errors and just got them out and looked at them. These coins went straight from a bank mint roll to the case and have no scratches at all. When I look at them under 10x magnification I can see fingerprint marks that are on the coin. What is the best method to dip/clean these coins before submitting to NGS? I think these have a shot of anywhere from 66-68 if I can get the fingerprints off. Does anyone know of a safe way to clean these 2 quarters without damaging them.? I can try to take some pictures but I am not very good at that. I have a SLR Canon 10 megapixel, but no macro lens. Any suggestions?  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1247 Posts |
verdi care. acetone, alcohol
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4901 Posts |
I would just use acetone...give it an overnight soak and see what happens to the prints. It won't harm the coin.
Verdi-care is for copper coins.
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
Finger prints are forever unless you remove them quick. You can try acetone but I think they won't come off. John1  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
Quote:
Verdi-care is for copper coins. Id do believe BadThad would disagree... Quote:
VERDI-CAREâ„¢ is designed to work on all metal coin surfaces: gold, silver, copper, brass, etc.
-Wizard Coin Supply As far as the op's question.....if the prints have been there a while they have etched into the surface...... Edited by amida17
07/27/2014 7:52 pm
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New Member
 United States
12 Posts |
Thanks for the replies.
I know the fingerprints have been there for at least 8 years because that is when I put them in acrylic holders and left them with my in-laws coin collection. I will try acetone and distilled water. I will try to get some info on Verdi-Care.
Any idea on how long I should let them soak?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3755 Posts |
You could let them soak for a decade and it wont make a difference. As mentioned, when they have become visible on the coin like that, they are etched in and thats that.
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Fingerprint stains are usually of the inorganic type of chemistry, and so organic solvents such as alcohol or acetone won't work.
VerdiCare may work, but first try it on another coin of low value, of equivalent alloy and lustre.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
Lincoln Cent Lover!VERDI-CARE™ INVENTOR https://verdi.care/
Edited by BadThad
07/28/2014 12:29 am
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
Quote:
I would just use acetone...give it an overnight soak and see what happens to the prints. It won't harm the coin.
Verdi-Care is for copper coins. I agree, acetone is always the best starting place for fingerprints. VC works on ALL metals, not just copper. However, acetone and xylene are cheaper and probably better for fingerprint removal than VC. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4691 Posts |
Acetone. Use a q-tip to lightly rub the problem area. Debris dissolved in acetone will quickly re-deposit and acetone evaporates quickly, so be sure to immediately rinse the coin after your treatment - I suggest using distilled water for the rinse.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1158 Posts |
since these are moderately valuable, I'd leave them alone. Acetone may just clear the fingerprint and reveal the etching that took place over the 8 years, so it could actually make the problem worse.
At the very least do them one at a time so you can see the effect before doing the other coin.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4691 Posts |
I will disagree with tkbslc. I have never seen or even heard of an acetone cleaning making a problem worse. Perhaps he has had a bad experience, but I stand by my suggestion. In any event that's what I would do if I owned the coin.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
Quote:
I will disagree with tkbslc. I have never seen or even heard of an acetone cleaning making a problem worse. Perhaps he has had a bad experience, but I stand by my suggestion. In any event that's what I would do if I owned the coin. And I agree with you, acetone conservation is 100% coin safe. As long as I've been using acetone I've had only ONE event where it produced a haze on a bronze token. It was stored in a very old (ca 1960's) 2x2. There was a sticky haze after I rinsed it. However, I followed it with a soak in xylene and the haze was gone. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3755 Posts |
Rinsing in water after acetone is counter productive. Water is not your friend with metal. Yes, long soaks in water can help with gunk and grime, but not as a follow up to acetone. Water is not going to remove something re deposited by acetone that would not have been removed by water in the first place. In that case you rinse with clean acetone.
Fingerprints are most certainly the result of organic reaction. I am pretty sure the oils and acids that com from our skin that cause the prints are organic. Acetone most certainly removes those oils and acids. The reason it wont do anything at this point is because, as I said, the oils and acids have already done the damage to the metal. Acetone can remove stuff, but it does not magically replace corroded metal.
Also, paint, ink and nail polish are NOT organic. Nor is tape adhesive. Acetone removes those.
I say leave them be simply because nothing you do now is going to accomplish anything.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
Quote:
Also, paint, ink and nail polish are NOT organic. Nor is tape adhesive. Acetone removes those.
Sorry, you're wrong, most of the components in those are organic chemicals. Quote:
Rinsing in water after acetone is counter productive. Water is not your friend with metal.
The reason it wont do anything at this point is because, as I said, the oils and acids have already done the damage to the metal. Agree 100%! Old fingerprints are usually etched into the surface, they are there forever. |
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Replies: 30 / Views: 6,887 |
Posted 07/27/2014 7:32 pm
