Verdigris. . . agony

I've got a 1906 Indian Head cent I've always liked because it had the nicest detail of any I have. It's been a while since I looked at it and now it's coated green.

What should I do?

 

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How have you been storing the coin and can you post a pic of it?

 

It's been just stored loosely, on its own in a wood jewelry box with a bunch of odds and ends.

I don't have a digital camera, so a photo can't be done. It is a thin buildup all over.

 

I wonder if it was stored in PVC at one time, or if there's any PVC in the container you're storing it in. If so, acetone will take it off, but the surface will have suffered some damage.

 

If the copper truly has oxidized, and copper has formed, there is another thread going on something called, like, Verdi-B-Gone or something. Perhaps that product can help you.

 

The damage has been done.
It is now a space filler.

 

Absolutely not true. If that coin has just started to turn green, it is more than likely just a coating or patina and should, or might, come right off with Acetone or ever just distilled water. If not and you don't really care and the Acetone does not work, try distilled water and baking soda solution. Soak in that and gently, very gently rub with that solution and rinse with distilled water.
First start with soaking in the distilled water for a few days. Then if nothing, try the Acetone. Last resort is the water/baking soda.
In way to many instances people blurt out Verdigris without knowing what it is on your coin. Or they say PVC and again have no idea of what it may be.
Copper piping outdoors almost always turns green. In some areas of the country this happens faster than in other places. Coins in wood boxes that have absorbed moisture also give it off.
Copper, Cu, usually combines with Oxygen, O to form Cu2O. this in turn combines with moisture, H OH, known as hydrogen Hydroxide or water, and Carbon Dioxide, CO2 to form [CuCO3-Cu(OH)2] or Copper Carbonate a dull greenish layer or patina.
That sounds like your coin.

 

It's most likely that the green is some sort of copper compound produced when elements and compounds in the environment react with the copper in the coin.
I don't know of any way to undo the reaction, i.e., remove the environmental compounds and leave the copper behind in its original state.
Therefore removing the "green" WILL take away some of the copper from the coin.
Thus the coin's surfaces are no longer original.
That's why I stated that the damage has been done.
The "space filler" statement may have been a bit harsh, but a change HAS occurred.

 

what if there is an is box outside the wood and an airtite in between the wood and the coin. ?

 

I have a roll of high grade Lincolns that are so green, it almost appears as if they were green ceramic coated. I plan on ebaying them ( accuratly described of course ).

I have tried acetone on a cpl, nothing. A HARD green coating like I have never seen before. These were all pulled from the same bag earlier this year.

 

Why take a chance?
Go somewhere and spend $5-10 for a hard plastic container.

A Tupperware-type container would be nice if you could be sure of no PVC.

 

yes the hard green coating fails even with biox. poor coins i have 50 great ones that cant be rescued

 

its not about taking chances. the us mint ships their gold coins that way and i am just trying to figure it out

 

Gold is a different story (sort of).
Gold is VERY resistant to change. It's close to inert to most things.
The "sort of" part arises because most (all?) gold coins are alloyed with copper, and the copper can be attacked by all the usual stuff.

 

and it does i have gold coins that caught verdigris

 

OK, does that make it a STD, Storage Transmitted Disease??

 

no its a moisture driven disease. in thoery everything inside the is box is protected so the wood is also protected ( for humidity u needdehumidifer and a strong one at that )

 

there we go. now tell me if i have that thing in an is box and if that thing contains a pure gold coin in an airtite is there a danger there.