I found this coin while out metal detecting today. It fell into the range of copper on the VDI scale of the detector, and the coin was about 2 inches down. The area of town that I found it in is one of the first areas that was settled in my city, Montgomery(right on the bluff overlooking the Alabama river). I didn't think much of it, and I thought that I had a really crusted memorial, but when I washed a little of the crud off, I saw a reeded edge, which invoked my curiosity. The coin is particularly heavy--it's caked in dirt, yes, but no other caked small cent that I've dug was ever so heavy. Here are the pictures, in comparison to a 1960 copper cent: what could this possibly be? and how can I clean the dirt off without ruining the coin(further)?
I'm not qualified to answer your question, but I had to give a shout out to a guy in the Gump! I was born in Jackson Hospital and grew up down in Lowndes County. I bet you find all kinds of neat stuff with a metal detector around that area of Alabama.
A 24 hour soak in olive oil may loosen some of the crud. I've been using a metal detector since 1973 and still don't know how to save the wrecks that I find. Good luck with it, and if you find out what it is, keep us posted!
I own a tumbler, but I'm hesitant to use it on this until I at least get an idea of what it might be.
I came across something like this myself while metal detecting. It was caked with hard crud and no amount of soaking in olive oil helped. So, I resorted to drastic measures. (NOTE- I don't recommend this for anything but garbage items!!!). I warmed up hydrogen peroxide and dropped the slug into it. The crud started to flake off. After several times of repeating this with fresh hydrogen peroxide, I was able to make out that it was a Victorian large cent. The next step was to determine the date which was still encrusted. I used denture tables in water and that process revealed enough to read the date. I have to hunt around to find the disc with the "before" images but it wasn't unlike the OP's item. Here is the coin after cleaning:
You guys have given me some great ideas for a coin that I found metal detecting around a home from the 1700's. It's so badly corroded that nothing will work, so it has sat by my desk for almost a year now! I'm already seeing a little bit of improvement after tossing it into a cup of hydrogen peroxide.
Just remember..... the coin will probably have no numismatic collector value after this kind of treatment. That's why I emphasized that it is only for coins that you know won't be collectable to anyone except the present owner. I have a completely separate collection that consists of my metal detecting finds. Most have enviromental damage.
If you have another suggestion on how to clean it, I'd love to go that route. Any coin from the 1700 - 1800's has got to have some value, so I'd like to salvage it if I can. It's just in really horrible condition and nothing else has seemed to work. We also accidentally bent it a little when we were trying to bang the outer layer of crud off.
Not true. I have boxes of 18th and 19th century coins that I've bought for as little as 10 for $1 from bargain bins. Old age does not always equal more value. This kind of drastic cleaning will take a coin that has $10 value to almost nothing.
The hydrogen peroxide has managed to get one tiny corner of crud to crumble off. I stll have no idea what this is, but it appears to be thinner than I expected and has some silver or tin showing. It's about the size of a quarter, but looks to be too thin to be one. My luck, it'll turn out to be an antique washer! ikandiggit - At this point $1 value still seems greater than the value it has had for a year. It might be shaped like a coin, but at this point I don't even know for sure if it is one. jwebbs - What did you decide to do? Are you going to clean it?
LOL... Ok, ok. You've convinced me and I've officially caved. I just put it back in extra virgin olive oil. This is considered to be the safer way to clean, right? I'm convinced that by the time this process is over I'll have spent $10 on an old tin washer! My family thinks I'm crazy, but I love the thrill of finding these old coins while metal detecting. Is there a guide on the board somewhere about how to safely clean them up?
There is no safe way to clean these coins. Any coin found buried will have enviromental damage. They will either be damaged because of being buried or if you clean them, they will be damaged by cleaning. Metal detecting is a hobby unto itself. The finds from it make a neat collection but they fall into a different area than numismatic collectible coins. That's why I have a separate collection of my dug coins.
