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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;hotwheelsearl, post: 2542639, member: 75143&quot;]Ever wondered how to effectively vinegar date a nickel?&nbsp; Let’s see.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, a disclaimer.&nbsp; DO NOT ACID DATE IF THERE IS EVEN A PARTIAL DATE!!!!</p><p>A partial date coin will ALWAYS be worth more than an acid date coin.&nbsp; Only perform this trick if there is absolutely no way you can tell the date, and the coin is truly a slick.&nbsp; Even a bit of acid will immediately reduce the numismatic value of a coin by 90% or more.&nbsp; Common acid dated coins are sometimes worth less than slicks, so you may end up with a bunch of spenders.&nbsp; DO NOT DO THIS ON ANY VALUABLE COIN!</p><p><br /></p><p>Now that’s out of the way, here’s what to do.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, grab yourself a handful of slick Buffs.&nbsp; We all know that most P-mint Buffs are worthless regardless of year, so try getting some D’s and S’s in the hopes of getting a 1913-S TII or something.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]545081[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Second, get some vinegar.&nbsp; I used apple cider vinegar but white vinegar works as well.&nbsp; I have had better success with apple cider, probably due to the citric acid that is present, but white WILL work if you don’t have any apple.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]545082[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Pour your vinegar into a container or some kind, and then add hydrogen peroxide.&nbsp; Mixing the two will create a solution of peracetic acid, which I have found to be more effective than straight vinegar (acetic acid) in dating a coin.&nbsp; I don’t measure exactly, just pour *some* of each – maybe a bit more vinegar than peroxide, but I don’t think it matters too much.</p><p><span style="color: #ff0000">EDIT: <i>CAUTION</i>.&nbsp; Peracetic vapors can cause respiratory issues if inhaled in large amounts.&nbsp; Please do not soak your coins in an enclosed space.&nbsp; If possible, keep everything outdoors to minimize your exposure to this chemical.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>At first, the solution will look just like normal vinegar.&nbsp; However, once the nickels are added and some time has passed, it will change color.&nbsp; If you used apple, it will turn green.&nbsp; If you used white, it will turn a (beautiful) blue color.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]545083[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>When the nickels start to form bubbles, that means that it’s working!&nbsp; The acid eats away at the surface layers of the metal, revealing fun stuff underneath.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]545084[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>When you gaze into the bowl and find that you can sort of see a date, it’s probably done.&nbsp; It took me from 12:45 to 2:07, so around 1 hour 30 minutes usually does the trick.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]545085[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]545086[/ATTACH]</p><p>Now, take your coins out of the solution, rinse with water (tap or distilled doesn’t really matter).&nbsp; This rinsing stage is important because failure to do so will yield some funky looking discoloration (think REALLY bad artificial toning).&nbsp; Rinse well with water, and then set aside to air dry.</p><p><br /></p><p>Congratulations!&nbsp; You’ve now acid dated Buffalo nickels!</p><p><br /></p><p>From my 6 coins I used in this example, I found:</p><p>1916-S x2</p><p>1917-D x2</p><p>1919-D</p><p>1925-S</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]545089[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]545090[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>So I didn’t get anything super valuable, although the 1917-D’s are fairly expensive as far as Buffalo nickels go.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>This trick should work on anything made of nickel, including Shield, Liberty, 3 cent nickel, and Jefferson nickels.</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, I did an experiment to see how a highly polished Shield would fare.&nbsp; I don’t like the polished look, so I thought that the acid would eat away at that layer, leaving a nice and dull nickel.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]545091[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]545093[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Lo and behold, it worked!</p><p><br /></p><p>In fact, I have find that slick Shield nickels often provide the most beautiful and impressive results.&nbsp; I don’t have an example to show, but trust me when you can have a completely slick Shield that has as much detail as a F or VF coin after an hour in vinegar.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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