Got this at a massive bargain of $.25. What would grade and value it, I am inexperienced in German coins tbh.
I'm a little concerned about the condition. almost looks like it has some slight environmental damage.
Not the best condition or photo but they all turn black like that. I don't see corrosion. It has the rarer mintmark. Check Ebay completed listings. I say you did get a great deal at 25 cents.
It is a key date for the series. Also, almost all zinc coins tarnish, not corrode, useless very careful preserved.
If I am not misstaken tarnish is really a protective coating that will help preserve an object"metal". ie Toning. Wheras corrosion is really the oxidezation of metal which beaks it down into a different substance.
Tarnish is a thin layer of corrosion that forms on the surface of a metal. Only the top layers of metal interact, and the tarnish seals the underlying material. Numismatists don't usually use the term "tarnish", but that is exactly what is happening. "Toning" occurs when the tarnish is very thin, and an optical effect produces attractive colors. Toning is tarnish, which is corrosion. "Patina" is similar to toning/tarnish in that it forms a protective coating on the metal, but it is usually a thicker layer. You no longer get the optical effect from the thin film interference of "toning" - the color you see with a patina is the actual color of the corroded metal. Patina is still formed from the reaction of the surface metal with the environment, and is thus also corrosion. "Corrosion" is any process where a metal reacts with its environment to produce a more stable form, with coin metals these are usually oxides and sulfides. Toning, tarnish, and patina are all forms of corrosion. Numismatists use "toning" and "patina" to refer to attractive, usually stable, beneficial forms of corrosion. These are often desirable, but sometimes not - depending on its appearance. The way a coin was stored or handled can contribute to the type or appearance of the toning or patina - but they are still corrosive processes. Numismatists usually use the term "corrosion" to describe a reaction that is ongoing, or which has eaten into the surfaces beyond the top few molecular layers. Corrosion of this type needs to be removed through a conservation process to stabilize the coin and prevent further damage.
True the coin may be a key date/MM but it is such a butt ugly series that only a mother could love it. It is true, I suppose that some collectors may want this specific date,MM and even condition, but as a dealer I have always found that really ugly coins are a hard sell however rare, and a very small pool of willing buyers means low prices. I don't see how you could ever recoup grading fees on this.
Butt ugly is in the eye of the beholder. Historicaly this coin was only made for 3 year during the Allied Occupation. Post WWII and only made in 1, 5, 10, Reichspfennig. It is to bad they were made from Zinc. I would still be pleased to have one in my collection. As I don't have one from this era.
I've had some success removing the unattractive white spotting on zinc coins by soaking them in lemon juice overnight. Works pretty well if it's a light haze, but won't do much for white spots that are really heavily caked on. For this coin I think it can improve the overall eye appeal a bit.
This coin is not bad at all. It was struck in the Mint of Karlsruhe, which I visited last month, since I live 500 metres away. Coins are produced in the same old rooms, because this building survived the unfortune days of WW2. These coins are very sought after where I live. Congratulations.
For a zinc coin it is not too bad indeed. Do I like it? Well, aluminum and zinc usually have a notgeld connotation for me; the former because it is very light, the latter because it may look shabby very soon. I know that both metals were/are also used for regular coinage but still ... Side note: Hope you had a nice visit - too bad that the Karlsruhe mint does not offer such tours itself. In fact, I don't know any in Germany that does it these days. Then again, I am amazed that coins are still made in Karlsruhe. Heck, the mint in Brussels, BE is about to close, and Utrecht, NL will be sold, but Germany still has all five. Christian
@chrisild I have personal connections.....otherwise it would indeed be impossible to visit the Karlsruhe mint
Side note about Brussels and Utrecht, in case anybody here cares https://www.cointalk.com/threads/future-of-the-dutch-and-belgian-mints.286846/ Christian
I haven't tried lemon juice, but don't use vinegar. I experimented on a worn Belgium Zinc coin and it utterly destroyed it.
I have found that a very soft brass brush work well for restoration of zinc type coins. Then dust removal with a Q-tip and Naptha [lighter fluid]. If you use acids it needs to be nutralized after.
