Buffalo Nickel Worn Date

Has anyone been successful in restoring dates on coins, specifically buffalo nickels?
I can't make out any of the numbers.

 

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There's a product called NIC A Date



But I don't think it would work on that Nickel. Looks to far worn.

 

Yeah... That one is probably too far gone. The Nick-A Date is the best store bought option. I have used a 50/50 solution of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide and let the nickels sit overnight and been successful doing that. It turns the nickel white as a ghost though but I figure it is still worth a nickel!

 

I have in the past used graphite shavings and gently pressed it into the date area...not rub....and then placed a piece of tracing paper on it (no, TP or tissue won't work) and gently, very gently, shaded the area covered by the tracing paper in with a #2 pencil. Don't ask me why, but I could never get a #1 pencil to work. That reason is best left to my Better Jeff The Science Guy.
I have also done this to ascertain feather varieties.

 

Nic-a-date is great and I recommend it. It may be too far gone but it may not, I've been surprised before.

 

@Randy Abercrombie what do you think would happen to this wheat penny if I used the vinegar and peroxide mixture on it?
Maybe not let it sit all night...?
Thank you all for the info on Nic A Date.

 

So you used pencil shavings? And then went over it with a pencil?

 

I have absolutely no idea…. I’m not a chemist by any stretch but there is something about the peroxide/vinegar mixture that creates an acidic reaction with the nickel that sometimes will reveal a date. But I have absolutely no idea how that mixture may react with copper.

 

The Nic-a-date solution is best in my opinion. I think you could get a date from that one. The advantage over the vinegar solution is that it can be used carefully to just treat the date area, not affecting the rest of the coin. Of course, in either case, unless it turned out to be a rare date, it's still worth only pennies over face value, but in my opinion it looks better. Don't leave the N-a-D on for very long. It is better to rinse it off too soon and try again than to over-treat it. In any event, rinse the moment you can read a date and don't try to "improve" it with a longer treatment. You can lose what date is there. And as some have said, it is possible it is too worn.

 

What wheat penny?

Besides the missing wheat penny, mixing vinegar (acid) with hydrogen peroxide (bleach) is a bad idea. It makes peracetic acid which is toxic to the throat, lungs, eyes and skin. Google it.

Acidic substances on copper ruins the surface metal and changes the color to pink. Bleach on copper will darken it…imo…Spark

 

I use plain old white vinegar.
https://www.cointalk.com/threads/can-v-nickel-dates-be-revealed-with-acid.408883/
The before-and-afters are on page two.

 

You can bring out the date with white vinegar and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide, but now the coin is etched and damaged, (it will cause an unnatural whiteness on the entire coin) but it will bring up the date. If it was a valuable date now it's not, and if you don't etch it you won't know what the date is.

 

Nic-A-Date should bring back the date but it leaves a darker spot on the nickel. It’s a form of acid and that’s what restores the date. This coin is very worn but it should restore the date and leave a dark spot as it will take on her to bring out the date. Just 1 second of nic a date on the coin is all it takes to permanently discolor the nickel. Best to leave as is.

 

That's my go-to solution as well. It's slower than vinegar-and-peroxide, but that's a GOOD thing -- it's easier to avoid letting things go too far.

 

I disagree. A dateless or a restored date common buff will have the same value.
But if it's a restored date key or semi-key, it could net you some cash.

 

Well, yeah, but -- you're starting with a 5% solution of acetic acid and a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide, so it's pretty dilute. Wikipedia says that you won't form peracetic acid at that concentration, at least not without a stronger acid as a catalyst. I wouldn't be surprised if there's some low equilibrium concentration of peracetic acid, but it's not going to be forming corrosive vapors. Don't drink the mix, or soak in it, or splash it in your eyes.

 

Yes but I didn’t say anything about value.

 

I don’t know. A dateless Buffalo is worth a nickel best I can tell. And a coin without a date is like a pretty girl without a smile. It just ain’t right….. So why not try to bring up a date? It will always be worth a nickel whether it is acid etched or not.

 

In my antique shop I can sell dateless Buffalos for fifty cents each. People use them to make jewelry.

 

Here is a 50/50 specimen. Note, any attempt to etch the surface of a coin will result in a damaged coin. I’m not a nic-a-date fan as it creates an uneven appearance, but that’s just me.