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 Replies: 12 / Views: 2,687 |
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Valued Member
United States
395 Posts |
I found this in a lot of coins. Is it worth sending to NGC for conservation? Would conservation be successful? Thanks for any feedback.   |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
94367 Posts |
A product like Verdi-care will remove the verdigris, but most likely the color of the underlying surfaces will contrast with the surrounding natural areas.
Edited by Coinfrog
01/08/2021 12:39 pm
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New Member
Canada
12 Posts |
properly conserved you might be able to get US$120 for that coin, not sure what they charge for conservation but from a financial perspective probably not worth it. In my experience that crusty green deposit is usually hard to get off and has eaten into the surface of the coin. Soft green goo comes off easily but your coin looks like it has the crusty kind. love to see the "after" picture if you send it in.
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Valued Member
Canada
402 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
818 Posts |
Soak it in penetrating oil for a couple of days, use a toothbrush, and hope. Can't hurt.
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
5585 Posts |
I somewhat echo what Terry, above, suggests, as well as others. Since that hard, crusty green crap on the is very grainy and sharp, it will leave scratches wherever it is pressed into the fields. You need to soak in a penetrating oil first to soften it up. Then, you need to very carefully remove it .. a toothbrush will just grind some of it into the surface. I recommend a careful toothpick or swab. Since the green is actually corrosive, the surface under the green will be discolored or even pitted. Only then can you start to try a few different solutions, including verdi-care. ANY 1858 is worth trying to save. If you clean and retone it carefully, you may end up with a nice coin, whatever the resulting flaws. It is not worth having it go to a TPG for restoration. Take another corroded 1859 to practice on .. you'd be surprised what you learn when you do things yourself. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1505 Posts |
DAR
you have a ton of detailed work-experiments ahead of you.
make sure you have a good stationary magnifying glass so you can use both hands and be glad it is wintertime.
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Valued Member
United States
493 Posts |
I'm in agreement with above comments. You need a good soak in an oil to help soften up the corrosion on the coin. That's the easy part. The hard part comes with trying to remove the corrosion. Patience is the key here, remove what you can and back into the oil. If you are using something sharp to remove the corrosion be careful of the fields. The finished coin will be coloured differently under the corrosion and probably pitted as well as previously mentioned. Slow and easy on this one.
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Valued Member
Canada
414 Posts |
I don't necessarily agree with all the comments above. It's difficult to determine from a picture but the green looks like the soft goo associated with PVC contamination, it has the consistency of crayon and is easily removed with acetone, Verdicare or other products. If it's a crusty verdigris and a sign of corrosion than it's a completely different story. It's a nice coin, probably not worth paying to have professionally conserved but a little pricey to start experimenting on. Start with acetone or something that won't harm the coin, oil and toothbrush should be a last resort and reserved for ancients if possible.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
666 Posts |
I would start with a 30 day soak in Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). Get a baby food jar with lid, fill about 1/4" with EVOO, once a week gently swish the coin, after 30 days the oil will be green/brown. Rinse in warm water. Acetone bath and gently wipe with acetone soaked cotton swab.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Patience is very important. Do not try to pry or scrape off the encrustation.
My experience is the coin will come out slightly darker and the green will be gone.
Please show pictures of the results.
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Pillar of the Community
710 Posts |
@dar76124, what did you decide to do? Any results for the 1858 coin in your pic?
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Valued Member
 United States
395 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
5585 Posts |
If I were you, I would initially try what 1960's Giants suggested above. If you feel unsure, as I said above, just follow the same steps with a nearly worthless corroded 1859.
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Replies: 12 / Views: 2,687 |
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Posted 01/07/2021 10:39 pm
