In another thread I noted that despite its damage, I thought it was interesting that someone carved EWY into the face of a 1840 coin. most likely in the 1840's. Here is another example on an even older coin http://www.vcoins.com/us/copperpenny/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=16&large=1 <IMG SCR="http://www.vcoins.com/us/copperpenny/store/catalog/11260417LG.jpg"> This one is from 1798 and the scratches are tones with the coin, authencating the age of the graffiti. Ruben
Well not exactly. It is possible the damage was done when the coin was new or it could have been done last year. It only takes a short time for a coin to re-tone.
mrbrklyn,that was an 1813 half and we were just speculating on the date of 1840's when the grafitti occured.Maybe coin scratching was in vogue back then.Long nights,no electricity.
Really? Wh is that? I would think the scratch itself would always be less oxidized than the sourounding coin. Ruben
When I was a woodworker way back when, the guy I worked for also had a metal shop, and occasionally I'd spend the day in there helping him with all sorts of stuff. I can say from my professional experience then, and my amateur experience now, chemically refinishing metal (not with paint or anything) does not take long. And basically if done right, you can't tell its not "authentic", because you're basically just doing what would naturally tone the coin over many years, except in higher doses over a shorter time. The fake painted on patinas are always easy to spot, but a good chemist can fool the best. On another note, to more specifically answer, why would someone carve letters into a coin? I'm not sure, I'm no expert, and I don't claim to be, but I have seen them before, theyre most commonly referred to as "Love Tokens", and sometimes as "Trench Art". Thats about all I know. Google 'Love Tokens' and you might find some more info, try a 'web' search as well as an 'image' search and sure you'll find lots...
If the price was right, Id get it for myself.It was most likely done by kids back then, board.......Its toughf lookin at a nice coin damaged like that.
Actually it works in the opposite way. Toning will help to protect the surface of a coin from any additional toning caused by a new source. Fresh metal will tone more rapidly than metal already toned. But look at the coin again - at some point it has been cleaned, probably more than once. So most if not all of the original toning was removed. So the scratched area along with the rest of the coin could start toning all over again from the beginning.
Actually, that makes sense with some metals likel Aluminum. I asume your correct about that being right about silver as well, but it is NOT true of Iron and Copper, which is one reason why steal and brass are so much better. Ruben
Like I said, it appears to have been cleaned more than once. The older cleaning is evidenced primarily by all the dirt in the protected areas. Then the coin re-toned. And with all the high points being almost shiny, it looks like the coin was wiped off not too long ago.
