| Author |
 Replies: 27 / Views: 2,704 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1083 Posts |
Decided to get my Uncle's collection in decent albums and see what I had. With the purchase of a 1921-D Mercury and around twenty more dates I bought, I have just completed a well circulated Mercury set. My uncle had a F-12 1921, and what I believe is a 1916-D in AG-3. Only the top part of the D shows, but under a strong glass I am 80 percent sure it is a D mint. I also received a large number of Walkers, enough to complete exactly half the whole set, but unfortunately no keys. I will have to slowly work on completing that set. All these old coins were pulled from circulation and many were greasy feeling and kind of a dark yellow. Every coin got an acetone bath before going in the albums. What a difference that made! It didn't remove any carbon spots, but all the coins are much brighter with three quarters of a century worth of hand grease and grime removed. Don't know if anyone is interested in all this, but I just wanted to add my recommendation for the use of acetone on circulated silver coins.
|
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1291 Posts |
Hmmm. I know that it works great at removing shellac, varnish and nail polish from coins that have been painted with those substances. Essentially, however, those are damaged coins to begin with. Not sure how the coin community will feel about using it on regular old circ coins, however....
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Nice job! I think that acetone bath simply removed decades of grime and dirt. I don't think acetone will damage an otherwise normal circulated coin. It's not like "dipping" in a chemical bath, and I don't think it will affect silver tarnish/coin surfaces.  |
|
Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Acetone is chemically incapable of acting on silver, and will only serve to dissolve organic matter adhering to it. Of course, no cleaning method is universally accepted among collectors, but acetone is generally regarded as being the most benign of possibilities.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2797 Posts |
I recently got back a 1917 Walker from PCGS in a body bag with PVC on the label. There were only two small spots on the lower reverse. After a couple of acetone soaks and clear rinses the PVC is gone ... not a trace left! That walker should go MS63 or 64. It will be in my next submission. I'm a believer!  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1415 Posts |
 of the before and after. I personally use the KurtS mineral oil method! I used it on an 1801 copper. Did wonders!  I posted pics on that thread. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2797 Posts |
Wwhitman, Here's the "before' pictures. Note the black dots on the lower reverse.   I'll take some pics of the "after" treatment before I send it in.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1415 Posts |
SeatedNut THANX for the before pics. Can't wait for the after. And you must let us know the outcome  |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2797 Posts |
Here's the after ...   |
|
Moderator
United States
187446 Posts |
Quote:
Here's the after ... Very nice! I hope PCGS slabs it this time! |
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
1083 Posts |
Dave, if they body bag it again send it to me. I don't have that date in my set and it would look great in there.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1415 Posts |
SeatedNut, Yup, you're right! It does look much better. Here's looking to PCGS to slab it. It's a keeper. |
|
Valued Member
United States
193 Posts |
Yesterday I was in a local upscale suburban coin shop and looking at all of the shiny Liberty Walking halves and the owner tells me he's got a 1916 that he's cleaned up with ammonia that he's going to submit to PCGS (he's who I go to to submit for me), anyway he says he thinks it's a 4 or a 5 and he goes to get it. I'm thinking G4, he shows it to me and it's stunning, he meant MS64-65. So if this guy is going to mess with ammonia and a possible $1800 coin, to hell with patina and dirt. I love tone on a coin, not dirt. I have a stash of Morgan's from my grandmother, after she got her first big-city job, every payday when she cashed her check she would get a single Morgan and throw it in a bag, this was 1921. All of them are toned and beautiful and I'd never clean them, but general circulation with just grime and dirt on them, I probably would. |
|
Moderator
United States
23522 Posts |
Keep in mind, jewellage, that for this guy to take ammonia to a key date, he's either a fool or very, very experienced. There are cleaning and conservation methodologies which I would undertake myself, but I will never advocate on Coin Community because they're so dangerous if not done exactly right.
Ammonia is one of them.
|
|
Valued Member
United States
193 Posts |
 I'm Just a pocket change yahoo and he's professional. He's thinking about not putting this one in the case and keeping it. I've got a note on my shopping list, next time I'm in there to ask him what it graded. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1083 Posts |
Jewellge, if you decide to use acetone on your Morgans, be sure and search on this site for a thread on the proper way to do it. Acetone can be dangerous to you, (but not to your coins if done correctly). I consider an acetone bath for older circulated coins to be a conservation tool, not a cleaning. It removes only organic residue like hand grease, and will not affect anything on the coin that has interacted with the metallic surface, like toning or patina. I don't know of any coin that has been body bagged by a TPG for an acetone treatment. |
| |
Replies: 27 / Views: 2,704 |
Posted 12/31/2008 12:59 am
