Recolored Copper Cents

Does anybody know what people use to do this? I've seen a few of them, but have never had motivation or the time to take one into the lab for a full analysis.

 

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I think its called dellars darkener. Also believe that sulpher paste will do this as well.

 

I have a couple that I have been told have been recolored. If they have been, they did a great job. The color could well pass for natural red by me. What ever they did was not mechanical. There are not lines on it.

 

There are a large number of things used to recolor copper. The most popular is Deller's Darkener. However, just about anything from a potato...to ground matchsticks combined with vasilene...to putting them in your pocket...to handling them a few times a day have been used.

 

Expensive dandruff shampoo is used as well...it contains a lot of sulpher and odd chemicals that will retone copper after a cleaning....


read my artical here on the learning process:

http://www.coinblogger.com/interview-with-owner-of-mesacoincom/

 

I'm already familiar with the "classic" techniques. I'm wondering more about the underground, "pro" methods that are harder to detect except to an experienced eye.

 

I just remembered I heard cyanide (sp?) does something to copper coins. I am not advising this, may cause death.

 

Here is one of the coins I was talking about. In hand, it is more orange than my pix, but I got close.

 

Don't use it and especially don't use it on copper. I've experimented with it and it wasn't nice to the test coins.

 

Interesting, I see some splotchiness around the arm area where it didn't stick. Thanks for posting it.

 

I cannot prove that anything has been done to this coin, although I suspect that he is right. However, the area that you think was missed is actually more silvery and I do not remember seeing it when I first got the coin. I have no idea just what that means.

 

Have you tried soaking the coin in xylenes?

 

I have not done anything to it.

 

Hi Thad - think Jeopardy, what's another use for shoe polish?

Hi Thad - think Jeopardy, what's another use for shoe polish?
Plus dyes, rouge, other cleaners for industrial use - there's about a thousand more I'm sure the old timers knew about.
Talk about slick Mr. Stockton from KY. could and did repair holed and damaged coins that found their way into PCGS holders undetected - I sent a man up there with an 09-S VDB with a hold in the head, clean through and when it came back you could not find it. He would mix the copper filler with color to match perfectly.
The old timers knew a lot but they are passing quickly - an old timer once told me he could use a solution of cream of tarter and clean almost any copper without it looking as if it was cleaned by adjusting the solution just so - he passed before I could get the exact method out of him. I've even heard of juice from red pepper plants but I don't know how to do it.
Probably a million ways including another million we will never know about.

 

The silver spots reminds me of what happens when electrolysis is used with a stainless steel electrode and a copper coin is being cleaned, so that's possibly how it was cleaned. :kewl:

Ribbit

 

WOW! Now, that's what I'm talking about.

 

word to the wise is enough just tell us which coins have the biggest market

 

Hey AZ Jack,

Thanks for mentioning my interview with you!! That article has a ton of great info.

 

Yeah! Toad farts! :thumb:

I won't either!

Ribbit