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 Replies: 18 / Views: 1,800 |
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
So I've had this 1858 Flying Eagle cent for a long time. It wants to be freed from it's dinginess. The eagle has giant holes in it's wings but I believe it can still fly and wants it's freedom. Underneath the black crust is what appears to be a decent coin. Can it be rescued, or would it be better off on a string around my neck where it could live a new life in the open world. It deserves better than to just end it's long life in a dumpster.  |
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Bedrock of the Community
 United States
25172 Posts |
No matter what you do to restore it, this will always be a corroded coin with little numismatic premium. I vote for the necklace! Note: A nice looking but holed France 10 Centimes 1861 was in a lot of coins I purchased. It's on my keychain now.   Inordinately fascinated by bits of metal with strange markings and figures
Edited by HondoB
05/30/2025 09:15 am
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19152 Posts |
Fun piece. Possibly a once buried coin.
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Valued Member
 United States
113 Posts |
Nice coin. I like what you did with it. Very cool.
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Moderator
United States
34408 Posts |
I agree that it is un-rescuable from a numismatic standpoint. Why not try to get some use out of it? If you do decide to clean and hole it, but sure to post some "after" pics to this thread!
"If you climb a good tree, you get a push."
-----Ghanaian proverb
"The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed."
-----King Adz
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
I wouldn't be trying to restore numismatic value, just make it easier for me to appreciate. What approach to attempting to clean it would be most likely to help without destroying the coin?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2850 Posts |
@Bdlc, one of our members DOCC does fantastic restoration on the coins he finds. I'd suggest looking at a few of his posts for some tips. GL!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3848 Posts |
How about spending it rather than destroying it further. That would be the find of a lifetime for whoever is receiving the coin!!
Suffering from bust half fever. Want to learn how to attribute early half dollars by die variety? Click Here: http://goccf.com/t/434955Shoot me a PM if you are looking to sell bust halves. |
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
Haha. Would be funny to see how many 7-11s I had to go to before finding the one where the clerk would take it.
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Pillar of the Community
 Canada
1764 Posts |
@Bdlc -  : I would follow BadThad's steps in preserving/restoring/conserving coins. A nice learning situation and a great coin to practice on.  Edited by Sharks
05/30/2025 1:48 pm
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Valued Member
United States
250 Posts |
I collect Flying Eagles and I must say this is the most corroded coin I have seen. It is deeply pitted besides corroded. If you tried to sell it, you would be lucky to get a dollar. I play golf, so I would use it to mark my golf ball on the green. My fellow players would probably ask me what it was and then it would be a conversation starter. Good Luck.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
74096 Posts |
You could conserve it, but it would always be a details coin, so it might not be worth it. You could try pure acetone and Verdi-Care on it, if you wanted to.
Errers and Varietys.
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
My intention for considering a restoration attempt has nothing to do with value or wanting to sell it. My grandfather gave me this coin when I was 7 and said it came from the pocket of a Confederate soldier following the Siege of Petersburgh near the end of the Civil War in 1861. The pitting on the obverse was where it got hit by buckshot from a Union cannon. Yeah, that sounds real nice... let me write that down somewhere. I should submit it to PCGS and see if I can make it famous, it deserves that after all it's been through. Can a Flying Eagle cent collection really ever be complete without owning this coin? Edited by Bdlc
05/31/2025 08:36 am
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
@Jimbo48 No, this 1787 Connecticut Draped Bust Left Colonial Copper is probably the most corroded coin you've ever seen. It sits on my desk right next to that 1858 Flying Eagle. I'm like America.. "Give me your tired, your poor, the wretched refuse of your coin collection and I will treasure it and give it dignity once more". I believe coins like this have a special aura that no coin trapped in a plastic prison could ever have. All the energy coins like this have absorbed over their long life from all the hands and pockets they traveled in.  |
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Valued Member
United States
250 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
113 Posts |
@Jimbo48
Wow, that looks super nice. I'm going to give that a try. I'll post images next week depending on how long it takes the Verdi-Care to get here.
Edited by Bdlc
06/01/2025 07:37 am
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Replies: 18 / Views: 1,800 |
Posted 05/30/2025 09:23 am
