I weep and sob

So sad for you!! Makes me sad and its not mine.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

The light green color indicates a good chance it is silver(1)carbonate. It would be touchy and have to be monitored to not go beyond (longer) minimum treatment. Dilute Nitric acid soak, removing and repeating with maybe a little help. I use a very sharp point wood skewer that has had the end soaked in water for flexibility for stubborn areas. An expert can tell tell, but it will appear much better. You only need a very small amount of nitric acid ( add it to water , not reverse). There will be some trial and error since its hard to tell the depth of damage. Good Luck , Jim

 

Good grief, that IS heart breaking! I sure hope you can find a way to preserve it as well as possible.

By the way, it looks like maybe I will come over here now. The other place put me in jail, and I'm not even sure what I did wrong. But anyway, I do hope you can find a way to remove the oxidation and preserve that beautiful coin.

 

I’d like to know if NGCs NCS could restore it. If it means a lot just send it in and see what they can do. Where ever this was stored I hope it never goes back there.

 

I’d try acetone then VC. Wonder if it was in a pvc holder

 

The Invasion of the "Bustie" snatchers! Ohh My!

 

I would take a toothpick and pick a small spot. Don't scrape or rub, just pock at the spot and see if it breaks apart. This may give you an idea of how attached the green stuff is.
Next I would soak the coin in acetone for a few hours and take note of the color the acetone turns. Also see if the acetone made the spot turn soft.

 

Sorry to hear about your coin. I had similar problems with my old Lincoln cent collection due to Whitman folders. Had to take to most of them to the bank … it was that bad.

I agree with others that if it means a lot to you, send it to NCS.

If you want to DIY, Coin Collections, Their Preservation, Classification and Presentation by David MacDowell, 1978, UNESCO, is a good reference. Based on this guide, the coin has spots of copper carbonate perhaps mixed with horn silver (silver chloride). Not likely to have much horn silver unless coin was in contact with soil or salt water although being toted in sweaty pockets over the years could do it too. A little salt spray could get the whole process going and account for the spotty nature of the corrosion as could random pockets of higher copper concentration in the planchet.

Treatment is immersion in 5% formic acid until the action stops. Carbonate turns to carbon dioxide with bubbling in the presence of acid. The copper will become free ions dissolved in the liquid, which may turn bluish. Change the solution every 30 minutes if the action goes that long. Rinse with distilled water. Then a 30-minute soak in 15% ammonium thiosulfate to remove horn silver and silver sulfide. Rinse with distilled water. Above applies only to coins that are almost entirely silver.

Don’t have formic acid or ammonium thiosulfate? They can be bought online. Substitutes are strong vinegar (acetic acid) and a commercial de-toning product (these have a thiosulfate salt in them).

Cal

 

Really sorry to see that Rob, very strange and a shame it had to happen on a sentimental coin of all the coins in your collection.

PS- That play date we scheduled for our bust halves… we can’t make it after all. Uh…Grandma needs us to clean her gutters this weekend… bad storm, very bad, lots of gutter stuff.

 

What are you going to do, Rob? You can't leave it. You have to get on it now.

 

DAMN... Hot distilled water soak several times and light brushing/prodding to remove the green, then acetone, dry and Verdicare

 

OMG, did you store that between two slices of bread?

 

That is a crying shame.

 

1000% better already. Awesome

 

Has anyone used the potato method? @lordmarcovan.

 

Looking good again