1858 flying eagle wrong alloy or fake?

Recently acquired this 1858 flying eagle cent. It was dark and covered with many black spots so I soaked it in Mint State Restoration coin cleaner. The spots are gone and the surface looks nickel or silver. The weight 4.65 g. No copper color is visible. Fake or ?

 

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Maybe you shouldn't have used that cleaner. Personally, I've never heard of it.

 

The Reverse screams fake to me.. IMHO

 

If they won't say what's in the stuff, I wouldn't let it near my coins.

 

Weight is correct, coin looks good (from photos);
can't explain the color difference you see, unless it was plated earlier.

 

FE cents are 88% copper and 12% nickel, they were called White Cents back when they came out because they were a lighter colour because of the nickel. With age the copper took over and toned to where they can be very similarly coloured to the earlier and later bronze cents that were 95% copper and 5% tin or zinc.

As @Fred Weinberg has suggested, it is possible the coin received a plating somewhere along the journey.

 

I believe the op means MS70 which is well know and used by a lot.Im suspicious about the coin as well,it was probably plated at some point which explains the appearance.Personally I wouldn't of even considered buying it in the first place .

 

I just thought it was odd, and possibly a different substance because MS70 doesn't mention anything about "Mint State Restoration" on the bottle.

 

If you leave a coin to soak in MS70, it can damage the coin. In fact, it will etch copper.

 

I am leery too. Kind of has a casting appearance on the rim.

 

Aw, c'mon! When does someone not read the directions before using?

 

I don't think so -- there is a product called Mint State Restoration. It doesn't list its ingredients, so like I said, I wouldn't trust it. "100% natural, not man-made" could be anything from corrosive lemon juice to sulfuric acid from a volcanic pool.

 

Ok then im just not familiar to the coin cleaning market at all and MS70 is basically all I know.

 

I'm not really on top of the cleaning-product market, but I am on top of selecting something that looks like a product name and doing a right-click "Search with Google".

 

From e-bay...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/223403782345

In the description, he includes this:

"TIPS and TRICKS: For lighter cleaning and patina saving/restoration, it is important not to allow the solution to settle, as it will become highly acidic towards the bottom of the container. For heavy duty cleaning (removing corrosion, verdigris), let the solution settle for an hour or so before dropping the coins in. Make sure the coin being cleaned is exposed to both sides, either by turning during the soaking process, or by placing it in a way that will allow both sides to be exposed to the solution. While the coins are soaking, it often helps to stir a little to help loosen dirt. This is especially effective for coins with verdigris. Also, keep a lid on the container while you soak coins. This will help prevent evaporation. Copper coins sometimes turn a pinkish color after soaking for extended periods of time, which may not be desirable. To restore patina to a copper coin, place it in the soaking tray along with a coin that has verdigris (green corrosion) on it. Soak the coin for about an hour, then remove, but don’t rinse it off immediately. After about 24 hours, you should see some of the patina return. Another way to get the color to return after soaking is to slightly heat the coin evenly, until reddish color returns. If you overheat, then you’ll need to dip the coin in the cleaner for a few seconds and try again. Mint State works to loosen dirt, corrosion, and verdigris from dirty coins, however, it is still necessary to wipe or lightly scrub residue from the coin’s surface. Use a toothbrush or soft brass brush with dish soap under running water. This will also help remove residual cleaner from the coin’s surface.
PRECAUTIONS: MS Clean is non-toxic and contains no chemicals; however, that does not mean you should ingest it or get it in your eyes! This product is very acidic, which is why it works so well, so be sure to rinse out with water if it does get into your eyes. Wash skin with soap and water after use, and be sure to keep the bottle closed when not in use."

Love the indicated text...

 

mee too

 

What, no love for "Use a toothbrush or soft brass brush with dish soap"? After all, does anybody really expect to "Restore" a coin to "Mint State" without using a WIRE BRUSH?

 

Out of curiosity, was this fresh coin cleaner, or were you reusing some that you'd already used to clean other coins? Some solutions can dissolve metal from one coin, then plate it out onto another.

 

I think the product used is this stuff called MSR "Mint State Restoration". I think this washed out all of the patina on the coin and made it unnatural looking. As was already stated, the composition was 88% copper and 12% nickel but I think this went high yellow almost white and shouldn't have been used.

No idea about the rim area oddity. but the term "soaked" suggest a long stay in this cleaning fluid.....

 

You got that right! The reverse tells the story and the story is it was made by Sum Yung Guy in China! Better luck next time!