How to dip copper coins?

I edited the eBay picture by eye to try to match the color in hand.
If this orange-yellow was toned down a bit, that would be ideal.

So, back to the OP's question, or my variation of it, if you have a coin that turns out to be off-color, is there something that would mimic the natural aging and coloring?

(For example, don't coins leave the mint with a trace of oil? Should that be restored after a safe cleaning to get the coin back to natural?)

 

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Ron, I'm on my lunch break and unable to offer the thoughtful response your question deserves yet. Watch this space about 10PM tonight.

Yes, it's possible, and I'd much prefer to talk about turning Red copper into Brown than vice versa. There's a point to that; the resulting coin shows more concern for the next owner than for the current one, which is as it should be.

 

To my knowledge, not on purpose. The mint is a factory and I suppose if you analyzed their surface you would find impurities like traces of oil.

Easy answer: To make a coin Mint Red again, it must have mint luster! Your coin does not.

In summary: It is easier to turn most any copper coin in any condition - even with ACTIVE GREEN CORROSION LUMPS AND PITS - an acceptable brown color. Some faster and easier than the others with corroded black surfaces.

It is "magic" to turn brown, red brown, and spotted red copper coins to RED. It is being done. I do not know how much or to what degree. There is LOTS of money to be made so IT IS being done.

If a very young, relatively new in business, small time coin dealer with only a high school education can do it in a bathroom after a few lessons to stir his curiosity and propose possible paths to experiment can succeed ...

All you need is a coin with original luster and knowledge.

 

I'm out of here...My wife BigMoney is giving me a "time out." She feels you guys (one in particular) just succeeded in "baiting" me to get me banned for good...and I fell for it!

I will not post personal attacks. I will not post personal attacks. I will not post personal attacks. I will not post personal attacks. I will not post ...

Think I'll go play add one drop one

 

Well. essentially you are asking for them to out themselves. Are they stoooopid enough?

 

I don't think the fellow who is asking for proof is following along anymore or understands the concept of "hanging oneself."

 

Many here have already claimed to be able to do it on several threads, they have already outed themselves, they just haven't shown any evidence of that claim. My request was pretty simple and the lack of response is just proving my point that it can't be done to the point that it is undetectable. Just because some silly TPG will put a coin in its plastic doesn't meen that the coin won't be recognized as tampered with by many collectors. Just because a coin being resubmitted has gone up a grade after multiple attempts proves nothing but inconsistencies at the grading companies.

This is what I'm looking for:
1. An image of a brown cent
2. An image of that same cent "restored" back to red.

 

If I guy was good at making red cents brown he could spoof ya

But if someone did come up with a legit restoration, then what?

 

"Kirkuleez said: "Many here have already claimed to be able to do it on several threads, they have already outed themselves, they just haven't shown any evidence of that claim. BTW, I do "pink" to brown - easy. I only have seen the reverse done. I have been promised full disclosure of method on my next visit. My request was pretty simple and the lack of response is just proving my point that it can't be done to the point that it is undetectable. You still don't get it. You, me others don't count. No one cares/needs to prove anything to you or anyone. Just because some silly ?? TPG will put a coin in its plastic doesn't meen that the coin won't be recognized as tampered with by many collectors. Absolutely true. Many of us (you include yourself - I'll add TPG's to that as THEY GET PAID TO DO IT and just may have seen some rare and valuable coins in there work also) can detect altered coins. BTW, the guys doing the "red coloring" are very good at detecting it too. Just because a coin being resubmitted has gone up a grade after multiple attempts proves nothing but inconsistencies As most of us here know, eye appeal is a BIG FACTOR in a coins value. Many coins are upgraded due to that rather than inconsistencies. at the grading companies.

This is what I'm looking for:
1. An image of a brown cent
2. An image of that same cent "restored" back to red.[/QUOTE]

Keep looking 'til the sun don't shine.

 

The photo is very flat, yes.

In hand, the reverse has very natural looking cartwheel luster, while the obverse has luster behind the head but looks kind of flat in front of Abe's face. I would have thought the luster was stripped, too, except I can't figure out how you could only dip one side of the coin!

So my guess is that it would be salvageable. Maybe it's just the way it was struck?

 

I believe that a red copper can be successfully browned and I believe that a copper can successfully be conserved, but I've never seen any evidence of a brown copper restored to what could convincingly be considered mint red. The color is always off even if it considered by some to be market acceptable.

 

Now this discussion (he cannot see my post as I'm ignored ) finally boils down to this: The words "ALWAYS OFF." This is 100% not true. I am the biggest doubter, pessimist, and "show me" guy you'll never know. I was made a believer.

But again "Who cares?

 

The plot thickens...

I see some "raised lips" at the design boundary edge on several of the letters. This is a characteristic of whizzing. The coin does not have a natural surface and what I am seeing could just be a "trick" of the light. Is it possible to tip the coin and get a photo of the revers letters?

Now before anyone posts something inaccurate, be advised that whizzing comes in all degrees. Micro-whizzing does not leave any of the typical "swirl lines" on coins. It leaves the surface of copper "Red." Coins "done" using this method (circa 1980's) were IHC's and Lincoln's and for a while they were graded by some TPGS's as natural. Using a stereo microscope the "lip" characteristic of whizzing was still present. Believe it or not!

 

Intriguing! I will work on a photo. In the meantime, one of the other two from the same source did look worse. There is a lump on the reverse letters and parallel scratches too. I will see if I can show it.

 

If you look at the bottom of the wheat stalk on the left, the parallel lines seem to point to whizzing. its also a bit strange that the surfaces seem to show minor corrosion and doesn't have the color to match. This is for all intent and purposes a modern copper, this simply should not be. There have many instances of rusty dies used by the mint, but not in modern times. This one seems clearly altered to me. I have more than a few "problem" coins in my collection, and I'm happy with them because I paid the right price for them; I just hope you did as well.

 

No worries - these were about $15; I also think I am getting more than that back in education today. As I mentioned to insider, I have this 1926 from the same purchase. I don't have the picture he asked for, but I did mark up this companion coin.

I marked the irregularities that are most obvious. The leftmost arrow is pointing to parallel lines in the field to the left of the O. The other two are just lumps. The only way I could understand a lump is if the adjacent metal were whizzed away.

 

Well fifteen bucks is cheap enough for a coin that you like. Though, the lumps themselves don't point to whizzing to me, more like a die chip or strike through; hard to say what happened through the course of the punishment that these dies go through. Whizzing is generally used to either hide flaws or to enhance the appearance of the coin overall. Check out this thread that I posted recently. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/1851-1-2c-gtg-eric-newman-collection.275637/ I think that @ksparrow eventually correctly spotted what NGC called whizzing.

 

Guys, I think I may have hijacked this thread a bit. The subject wandered when I posted pictures and we talked about the problems. If you think I should start a different thread, let me know. I don't want to be rude.

Insider, I have the pictures you requested. They are merely cropped. They are at an angle into incandescent light. As a result they are out of focus at the extremes. I hope they let you dig deeper into the images.

Also - PLEASE DON'T GET SUSPENDED!! I APPRECIATE YOUR HELP!! So there.

 

Go with what Kirkuleez said. We know it is 100% not original; IMO probably lightly buffed. You got a nice looking coin at a cheap price.

 

Totally agree! It has nice features, it's pretty, and I've learned a lot. I even learned some photography. I'm quite happy.