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 Replies: 23 / Views: 3,950 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1192 Posts |
I recently received a gift from a fellow metal detectorist that included half a penny box of dug wheat pennies. I'm not sure what I can do with them. I got out all the ones that didn't have large amounts of vergitis. I'm not sure what I can do with them to keep them from corroding further and maybe make them look better for mostly my sake. There are a bunch from the teens and twenties but not any key dates and none of them are sellable in this condition. I would like to keep them atleast as copper bullion if I didn't have to worry about all the green dust getting everywhere but I pretty sure they are not able to be saved as collectables. I don't think vericare would be economical for this many pennies but I'm not sure, I estimated around 1,200 from volume. Could I just release them back into circulation and maybe get some other kid interested in the hobby. Would cents in this condition even go through a bank counter? Any suggestions?   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7375 Posts |
I be tempted to drop the lot into one of those ultrasonic jewelry cleaners.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2189 Posts |
I use a plastic rock tumbler I bought at hobby Lobby a few years ago. I throw all my metal detecting change in it with some water and a touch of soap.Some people add aquarium gravel in the mix.The longer it turns the cleaner they are.I run mine for about a half hour.Just long enough to get the crud off them.Dry them and return to circulation
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Valued Member
United States
405 Posts |
Olive oil works pretty good, Takes a long time and usually darkens them, though...
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
You can clean them like people who clean coins from wishing wells/fountain,I think there is a web site for that. But when your done you still have a bunch of "cleaned" coins. John1  Edited by John1
05/07/2015 2:27 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4691 Posts |
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Rest in Peace
United States
18456 Posts |
 There is not much you can do for copper that's been in the ground for 80 or so years. I used to clean them up best I can and put them back in circulation. like you say ,maybe some kids will get them and kick start them into a new hobby instead of video games.  |
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Moderator
United States
187582 Posts |
Any that are worth saving are going to need personal attention. I am not sure a batch job is going to be successful. With that said, it may be worth searching the box for anything of value first and then asking how to proceed.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7613 Posts |
Clean them the best you can and slowly return them to circulation.
They just might create a few new collectors which the hobby badly needs.
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Moderator
United States
187582 Posts |
I like that idea. They do not have to be good, just good enough to spark an interest.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6130 Posts |
Unless there are any that you need for your collection (and as you said, these are all common and easily replaced), I would say dump them into circulation for $12. The odds that a collector if copper bullion would want corroded coins is pretty small, and no collector would pay more than face for damaged, common wheats. You could roll up some of them in an old, beaten-up wrapper and spend it, if you wanted to turn some heads and spark some interest in the hobby! Or you could roll some up in an old wrapper, slip a Mercury dime and a common IHC on either end and sell it on ebay for $25 each  |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1192 Posts |
I really don't care about having a cleaned coin. Their end result will be just something to put on the bottom of my safe to add more weight and as a novelty. I just wanting something I can run my hands through and my hands not green if possible or know they are turning to dust
I will post a picture when I get a chance of what I don't mind them looking like.. They lost except as ballast or maybe spending them which I prefer not to. I'd a good idea looking through them again. It's so sad since they all seem to be mostly from 1910-1930's.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1192 Posts |
Do you guys think their would be any way to get them to look this good as this hideous cleaned cent? That's what I want to keep them as weight. I was surprised how decent it look in a photo. It's as ugly and as sin and I found it in a penny roll like that. Basically I want it non green and some of the orginal details showing with the vergitis arrested.   Edited by Bertensgrad
05/07/2015 3:20 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1158 Posts |
Seal up the box and sell it on ebay as "unsearched time capsule full of old coins!" (Kidding of course) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1192 Posts |
I also interested in what to do since I'm taking up metal detecting and I want to keep all the wheats I find. I want them like trophies :). I might do better in my area since the soil so alkaline and wet. These came from a few hundred miles away in a vastly different soil type.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1192 Posts |
Ok I experimented with a handful of them and this is the best three that came out of it. I froze them in water then put it out in the hot summer like day. I then took them inside and rubbed some hand soap into them. Should I expect similar results if I placed them in a rock tumbler? I think they would spend but if I kept them in a nice environment away from moisture humidity will they keep like this or would the verdigris come back?  Edited by Bertensgrad
05/07/2015 5:58 pm
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Replies: 23 / Views: 3,950 |
Posted 05/06/2015 9:43 pm
