Have to split, Bears are on, but I'll be back. Take a look at these close-ups. This is what I'm dealing with. It looks like this comes off. If you're going to say, first, distilled water, tell me where I get a quick, cheap bottle of that. Do I just go to Walgreens and buy some contact lens "wetting-solution" (is that pure distilled water)? I don't need a gallon of it. I'm thinking of boiling it in the microwave, then throwing in the coin and seeing if that can loosen any of this...as a first try. Maybe you can identify it? Maybe you have a better idea? Don't want to hurt anything, even the tone. But this is a nice, sharp VDB, and I'll keep it just the way it is, if I can't think of anything. Just tried-and-true methods, here, now. Thanks!
Kinda looks like the coin was once coated with shellac, maybe fingernail polish. It will probably take acetone to get it off. But that in itself can have risks. Were it me, I'd probably sell/trade the coin as is and get another.
What the heck is that stuff? Could be PVC damage. Just buy a gallon of distilled water. It'll cost like a buck. The contact lens solution will be more than that. Or, just use tap water. You're not gonna hurt that thing. And, since I think it may be PVC, I would go the acetone route anyway. Don't use nail polish remover -- get pure acetone. Check a hardware store and get a pint for about $3-4
Also, I would not recommend "boiling" distilled water in the microwave. Water with no foreign particles in it actually does not boil.... until you put some in (ex. dirty coin). It can actually "flash boil" and explode into a cloud of steam in your face. Bad burns. I knew somebody it happened to.
yes. If you boil water in the microwave, put something in it, like a wooden chopstick, that will act as nidus for bubble formation. Otherwise the water can superheat, resulting in severe burns when you take it out.
I'm thinking what Doug said. IF you play with it, prepare to make it worse lol, but learn as you do it. It's a goner already, a good tuition coin if you so choose.
Trouble is, what can you get for a "goner?" VDB, front-end damage, needs a little work. I think, considering it all, I like that, "tuition coin." You pay to play with these things. This one, I think, is made-to-order for that. There's a little black fiber stuck on the coat. This junk will come off. Going to take the hard stuff to do the job. It will leave an underlying shadow, though, I suspect. I'll pick up some acetone next time I swing by Ace, see what happens. I appreciate all the advice, guys. Thanks, again!
coin will probably be ruined Copper coins are ruined more often than they are helped. I believe that there is a high probability that this coin is going to "blow-up" on you. You don't know what it is going to look like underneath that gunk. You may want to sell it as-is. However, with the obverse gunk, it's probably not worth much to anyone so you may decide to conserve it yourself. I might suggest that you apply warm distilled water & soak for a long-long time. Maybe soak for a day. See what happens. Maybe after the soaking you could pick gently at this surface gunk & see if it is willing to fall off easily. The key word is gently and look at what you are picking under magnification. Cover & soak in Acetone for a long long time. Keep an eye on it and keep the area ventilated. See what happens. Maybe after this soaking you could pick gently at the surface gunk & see if it is willing to fall off easily. Again, the key word is gently. If you pick & touch the coin with anything to loosen this debris, then view the coin under magnification when you do it. When you are through ruining the coin with these procedures, apply some Blue Ribbon to the coin. Very best regards, collect89 P.S. If the obverse gunk is not lacquer, it might be corrosion from a previous acid cleaning and re-toning. In this case, if you get under the re-toning, then it is going to look really bad.
