I'm looking for an opinion on the value of this half cent. Full disclosure: I've already given her an acetone bath with poor results. Your thoughts?
Half cents and cents from this time period usually go for $20-40 depending on the number minted & condition.
Ok, Here is the same coin following a Veridcare treatment. Do you think a another round of Veridcare would help?
Considering the "before" pictures, I'd call that an improvement. After Verdicare, I'd maybe try a little sulfur-Vaseline paste darkening, perhaps, or just let the coin retone by leaving it in the open on a sunlit windowsill for a while.
I appreciate all of your comments and I'll followup on the suggestions when I get back home next week. Joe
It still looks dry to me. Try a little mineral oil and a light brushing. Don't remove all of the oil, as that will protect the coin. Personally, I would not use Verdicare, as they don't let you know what is in it. With apologies to Lord M., do NOT use sulfur-vaseline. Sulfur corrodes the copper. That's how it darkens it. The surfaces eventually become matte, which makes it obvious to anyone that the coin has been recolored. It appears that the coin has some green corrosion around the stars and letters. If so, you want to remove that. Think back to your high school chemistry for things that dissolve copper salts but not metallic copper.
I stand corrected on the sulfur, then. I've only used it on inexpensive stuff. The only reason it came to mind is that I once used it to recolor a large cent I'd dug while detecting, and it helped to (re-) darken the coin after I'd had to rather aggressively clean it. The sulfur paste worked pretty well for that. But if it's a no-no under more normal circumstances, forget I mentioned it.
You're correct that the dark areas are still green-ish. Verdicare did make a big difference but there are still problem areas. The coin in hand looks very nice but the high detailed photos makes it look terrible. I'm not sure that the darker areas are corrosion or just verdigris that Verdicare didn't remove. I have mineral oil so I can give that a try. Joe
I'm cheap, so the way I use Verdicare is to deposit it on the surface of the coin until it covers it...turn the coin upside down and cover the other side (obviously on a non-porous surface) and let it sit overnight. Wipe the coin down thoroughly. That should leave some protection. Otherwise some mineral oil or Vaseline and wipe it down thoroughly. I've been experimenting with linseed oil which will "cure" to form a plastic covering (for ancients).
