1941 Lincoln DDO - Fs101. Cherry Picked From Ebay

A green (fresh) thorn would be better. Keep in mind that the gunk you see probably has sand/grit on the mixture. A toothpick could move it, but the sand in the grit can leave a scratch. So you need to dissolve it a bit to release the gunk from the coin. I use a soak in mineral oil to loosen the junk. It is more like the lubricants that are used on machines. But the thorn will give, where as the toothpick is stiff.


Experiment on common circulated coins to get down the technique first. On the coins on the image above, I covered 1/2 with tape, for the before and after images. Only use this on heavily circulated coin with the issues seen above. Never use this on a BU coin or even attempt it on a proof coin. The mineral oil will not remove stains, only dissolves the greasy gunk on the coin. Not to be used as a cleaner for coins, but to remove attached gum around the devices. Stains are permanent. Carbon spots are permanent. Split plating can't be fixed. So it would be a waste of time trying to do something that couldn't be done. Always try on a common normal coin from circulation first. Don't ruin a good coin.

CoopHome: How can I remove gunk from around the devices of circulated coins. Is there any risk in removing this? Will this make the coin new again? No! Just a removal method for gunk attached to the devices.

Thanks for all who responded. I was considering sending the coin for grading, I could be wrong, but it doesn't appear cleaned, it appears to be in the stage where it is changing from RB to BN. Dont know exactly how to describe it.

I could be completely off with that assessment.

Im also nervous on acetone / mineral baths and restoring. I know grading companies can do their own restoration however it can also open up more problems.

Nice pick. Congratulations.

That's a $100 AU coin and would be about $30 to put it in an ANACS slab.

Here it is, straight graded to MS63. very happy with this one

Good eye on this, congrats!