I know that each and everyone of us has mistreated coins at least once in our lives. For example, when I was very very young, every time I would find a Buffalo nickel I would go down the street and lay it upon the railroad track. Also when I was also young, I found just how good an eraser worked on coins:crying:. At least I didn't ruin too many valuable coins. Anyone have any Horror stories like these you would like to admit too? Even if it wasn't you who did the damage.
I found a walking liberty half dollar in my uncles house and took it when I was little, had it for a good year or two, then lost it. I think it might have been one of those toned coins. (the coins with color) Wish I would have kept it... I also had a blank penny (around the same time as the walking liberty) and if you turned it just right you could kind of see the picture of Lincoln and the date. Lost that one too. Wish I would have treated them better and kept them in a special box... Instead of my cool looking rocks...
One of my first coins that my dad gave to me years ago was an unc. 67 Kennedy. I saw a little spot on it and decided to take an eraser to it... The whole coin not just the spot. I still have that coin and kick myself everytime I look at it.
At 14 and 15 yrs old(152-53) we once shot at nickels propped in tree bark. We used .22 BB Caps and the distance was maybe 15 ft. Well it came to a quick stop when one of us nicked the bottom of the coin and it richoceted right back at him. It buzzed loudly and hit him on the forehead. No damage done and we all thought it was hilarious. Looking back at this later we all thanked our lucky stars that it wasn't worse. Did ruin a lot of buffalos though. Wish I had them now.
Mythbusters: An Old West gunslinger could shoot a hole through a silver dollar. "The MythBusters used actual period silver dollars for the test. A professional gunslinger proved that hitting the coin was possible (with many tries) by piercing a lead coin. Both the Peacemaker and Navy revolver were only able to dent the silver dollar. While a .357 Magnum could easily pierce the coin, the myth was busted because the .357 was not introduced until the 1930’s – gunslingers didn’t have access to it." Busted Myth http://mythbustersresults.com/episode65
As kids we distroyed as many coins as possible. The ones thown in so called wishing wells probably are still there though. A really common game was called lagging. On concrete sidewalks, we used to lag pennies at the second line, dividing line between slabs. Closest coin won the rest. This would dent, scratch, mark them so bad some would look like going through a war. Naturally we too shot at them with all kinds of guns. Air guns as well as real ones. Then too living near lakes and rivers many were thrown in there for no reason at all. And we all tried the RR track with any coin not wanted. Seeing how high they would fly from firecrackers was fun too. Naturally when someone popped up with an electric eraser as many of us as possible would try to make a 22 plain cent, 14D from a 44D and a few others. Just had to erase a leg on Buffalo Nickels too. And in chem labs we all made CuSO4 from pennies in Sulfuric Acid. Allowed it to evaporate into some fantastic Blue Crystals. Same attempts with Nickels, Dimes, Quarters in any acid available. Hit two pennies together with a hammer to see if you could transfer Lincoln to the reverse side of a cent.
Killed Coins Penny Target practice was a common passtime in my family. 100 yards with a .22 and it was a right of passage to claim your 1st dead center. (Using a scope off a bench rest) I still have a few. Since shinny new Indian heads made a wonderful sigh picture they were sometimes used for indoor Parlor Gun practice, too. (I'm not making this up) http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=251903 So I have a few AU Indian Head cents, PERFECT except for them being bent to crap by a bullet. Maybe I should post some photos. Oh, and I also grew up near the largest railroad road switching yard in the world during WWII. Who KNOWS what wonderful vintage coins became the long skinny smears of metal found in family shoe boxes.
Recycling or abuse? Wham, Bam & Thank you mam is one end of fine coins. Subtle abuse by electron movement worked fine on many coins by using an old WL or (my favorite, back then) Standing Liberty as an anode, connecting "something else" as the cathode and passing a current through a solution destroyed many a coin under my hand. We also used to lob gobs of mercury (not the coins) at each other, so that might explain some of the thinking involved....and allow diminished mental capacity as a defense.
.....ere....or maybe I was just a teenager with a battery before twitter/facebook/myspace/ video games?
In traditional printmaking processes, Intaglio prints made from etched copper plates uses a harsh acid recipe of Potassium Chlorate and Hydrochloric Acid mixed into water, typically called a Dutch Mordant. Once the chemicals are mixed together in a large flat tray/bath, you need to get the bath active before immersing printing plates in to etch a design on the plate. Professional fine art printmaking studios and art schools that still use these mordants can use scrap copper bits from old plates to activate the mordant but I recall sacrificing numerous pre-1982 Lincolns for the sake of art when I was getting my degree. Intaglio explanation for those curious. It's still the basis of how our paper currency is printed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intaglio_(printmaking) The Art of Etching (Google books): http://books.google.com/books?id=ox...a=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8#PPA1,M1
