I was servicing a store yesterday and had a hankering for a candy bar a Pay Day.....so in a hurry I went to the self check out made the purchase , and put in two single's. The candy bar was like a dollar and change. Out of the machine comes this ...an 1913 D Buffalo nickel ,it was black like it had been dipped in tar or asphalt. So I gave it a bath last night... over night, and it did clean up some ...enough to see the D! Too bad about the damage as it may have went a G 06 had it not been for the tar. But still the coin gods smiled and I got a semi key! So maybe a $20+/- coin Plus I got a Pay Day Yum!
That's a nice find. It's too bad about the tar, but in the long run, it was probably your friend. Because of it, I'd guess that no one gave the coin a second look. Chris
Soak some more, should all come off. Great find! I got a 13-d ty 1 ms-62 from my boss for going through a bunch of coins that was passed down to him. Love type 1 buffs, best art work of the entire series.
I definitely agree! I bought a type 1 PCGS MS-64 with beautiful amber-colored toning on both the obverse and reverse. I do not collect this series but bought it just because of looks.
Are you bathing it in acetone? I would think the tar would come off in acetone since tar is derived from oil.
Wow, my only question is "What's the damage?" Don't think soaking in solvent counts as harsh cleaning. Might want to try toluene or xylene, usually a better solvent for grease and tar.