Hello all me once again! I have this nice piece that has a bunch of something on it, doesn’t seem gooey at all and doesn’t come off. I have tried vinegar and salt on an old beat up Indian head for practice a year or so ago and that coin got obliterated so I never even thought to attempt this again, thank god it was a junk Indian head. I heard about acetone doing some good things some times but this is NOT a penny I would want to chance anything with! Do anyone have any ideas or suggestions or should I just leave it be? I just now it would be sell a bit better without it if possible But if there’s nothing I can do I’m fine with that as well! Thank you in advance.
Agree. Pictures would help. Acetone would probably dissolve whatever crud is on there. Another, less reactive method would be to dip in distilled water. Keep in mind, you don't know what is under that crud. You may end up with an uglier coin than you had before.
I am no expert, but I would not try to clean it further. As you know, vinegar will take the skin off so do not even think about using it. Since it is a key date, I would send it to a TPG and ask them to evaluate it for conservation. They know a lot of tricks. That's my two cents worth..
Considering the date, have you considered having it professionally conserved and slabbed? I think it would bring a higher price after having done so. JMHO
Firstly, take a careful look at the spacing with the second "1" in the date to make sure it's not an altered 1944 cent and that you're not wasting your time. Check that the mint mark matches confirmed known die varieties as well. Second to that, investigate having the coin professionally conserved and determine if it'd be worth investing in having this done. In its present state, a reputable TPG will not grade the coin but may slab it as "details genuine" or some such. Does the reverse look similar to the obverse, by the way?
Given the date and mintmark you should leave it alone. Only a professional should try to restore and preserve it. Vinegar and salt are horrible to use as cleaning agents.
Here is a good old CT thread about counterfeit 1914D cents. To my untrained eye, it looks like it could be a match for Obv-1. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/authentic-vs-counterfeit-1914-d-lincoln.76229/
Also, I don't know if it would be worth the cost to send it to a professional to be conserved (aka cleaned). At best, it would receive a details grade and based on just the obverse, I don't think it'd grade much higher than G-04, if that. What does the reverse look like?
If you did not pay much for it, then send it in to be graded. If real, then you will know for sure. If not, you will only lose the cost of verifying it. Trying to clean it can destroy it more. Or, they may be able to conserve it or tell you if it can be and where to send it. Good luck.
I would make one addendum to that: Perhaps try piggybacking on a LCS submission. Otherwise, the costs for joining and getting the coin graded will most likely outweigh the "value".
Iv Ive thought about it but I’m not sure if the turnaround time would be worth it, I did get it i looked at it under the loupe all looks good!
I looked with 10x and 30x everything looks fine lines and no issues that’s a good call though never even thought to look! Thank you.