Green Crud On Buffalo Nickels

Both copper and nickel salts are green.

Chemically copper nickel alloy is more stable then bronze or copper, but complex hydroxycarbonate copper salts (verdigris) can form, given the right conditions.
Those salts can be more complex chemically, with nickel involved as well, or can occur as an integrated mixture of copper and nickel salts.

What you see here is chemically very similar to bronze disease (verdigris).

That's a shame.

Maybe acetone would help.

Anybody here ever try acetone on a nickel?

I agree T-BOP that the Whitman folder shouldn't do that but the only crud is on the back (reverse) and edge of the coin. The only part touching the coin. I just ordered some Verdi-Care thanks to this form.

Thanks for the reply,
Craig

My Verdi-Care treatments on copper didn't work too well. I was never able to rid the deposits.

Acetone and Verdi-Care should do the trick.

I'd suggest just trying Acetone. Possibly a small brush in the Acetone on those might help. Not much to loose. Remember to not use the Acetone over and over. Use new stuff each time. As to how, Whitman and all Folders are made using a glue to glue done the slotted cardboard onto a piece of paper. Not a high quality method. Usually much of the glue is on the slots where the rear of the coins are. In moist areas, this glue gets activated and attacks the rear of coins. going from Whitman to Dansco may not be to smart since possibly same problem. Is the empty have a shine to it. If so, that is the glue so you may end up getting the same results.
Although more expensive, this is why so many change to Albums.

I would add that the OP should keep in mind that significantly extended immersion times in olive oil are capable of creating an acidic environment likely to cause mild etching depending upon the nature of the substrate and pH measurement.

Once I had a severe problem higher grade coin and kept it soaked in olive oil for over a week only to find that the patina had been damaged with obvious etching.

I never tried this but testing the olive oil periodically with pH test strips could be a method to avoid costly mistakes from significantly lowered pH values...

Thank you everyone for all your help on my problem. I will try all of them once I replace the crud nickels with newer ones.

Craig