Howdy peeps, It seems there have been several different threads on cleaning coins lately and I've stuck in my 2 cents where I could but I figured it was finally time for me to stick in my 1 cent. Here's a very recent purchase of mine: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=110354796298 It came in this morning and here it is after a short bath in vinegar, to loosen up the green gunk, then about a 45 minute electrolysis bath (water & baking soda): Personally, I cannot tolerate green stuff growing on my old coppers, so I remove it and on this one, it still had awesome color to it afterwards (much darker in hand), but I still gave it a light coat of Dellers to protect it from corroding again. So what dew you think . . . leave the green or the green has got to go? Ribbit Ps: That's a 1786 M17-K and a R-3/4 and on a large thin planchet. http://coinfacts.com/colonial_coins/new_jersey_coppers/maris_17K.htm
No how, no way I'd use vinegar on copper! One form of verdigris is copper acetate and vinegar is loaded with acetic acid and acetate free radicals. A great catalyst for forming even more verdigris!
I think that the least of this coin's problem is green stuff. I think it's fair to say the coin has far larger issues than a little green spot. Furthermore, the dellers did nothing at all to stop it from corroding again. All it did was add a little bit of corrosion/toning on the fresh post-strip surfaces. If the coin is again exposed to humidity and sulfur it will begin to corrode again. Only a layer of oil -- kept up with regularly -- will stop it completely, and removing humidity/sulfur will effectively slow it down enough that it will be stable for a very, very long time. And if the coin was in the ground for any length of time (as it appears) -- some of the salts may have entered deep into the coin, and that green stuff (and other corrosion) will start again even without significant humidity/sulfur and with oil on the surface. All that said, if you are happy with the results, that's the most important thing -- and with a coin with that level of "issues" can certainly benefit from some conservation -- I still don't fundamentally agree with the position, and personally, I'd just avoid coins that have issues and seek out coins that don't. Respectfully...Mike
I'm plug'n holes, so if it's attributable, it's Toadable. I figure I'll start upgrading when I can no longer find ones I need so until then, I'll be snatch'n the corroded ones off the maket and giving them a loving home. :hug: Ribbit Ps: I sometimes get'em not corroded and I picked up a purdy lil 1787 M60-p (PLURIBS variety) the other day and I'll take pic of it tomorrow and post it in this thread.
I agree about the cleaning, but in this case I do not think it hurt. It definetly needed some tender loving care. Cool coin toad. And for avoiding coins with issues - that maybe the only way some of us ever own certain coins. A sad, but true fact. Even more so when you are going for varieties like toad.
There is point where I believe it's better to clean a copper than leave it as is and this one passed that point some time ago. But it's a hard one to acquire so for what I paid for it, I think I got a great deal. Look at this one and how much it went for: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=320346139921 That's a 1787 M72-z (R-5) but then, look at this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=200315241318 That's a 1788 M65-u (R-5). I think the 65-u is better than the 72-z and considering it was less than half the price of the 72-z, I like it even more. Ribbit Ps: If you think the 65-u isn't that nice, compare it to the 3 examples at CoinFacts: http://coinfacts.com/colonial_coins/new_jersey_coppers/maris_65u.htm Then is when you should realize that variety had problems. :goofer: Pps: Here's one more that's on Ebay and it's interesting: http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-1787-NEW-JERSEY-M-73-aa-R-5_W0QQitemZ180335413304 What's interesting about it, is you can also view it on CoinFacts: http://coinfacts.com/colonial_coins/new_jersey_coppers/maris_73aa.htm It was once owned by Copper Clem and he provided the pics to CoinFacts when he owned it. So it has an interesting pedigree.
Yes, it will neutralize the acidic protons and it will form sodium acetate but you WILL still have free acetate radicals in solution. So, rinse/soak with sodium bicarbonate all you like, it won't help, you'll still have acetate.
Here's my 1787 M60-p: They were struck extremely weak, on large thin planchets, so it's hard for me to get a good pic of it but it's much better in hand than the pics show. I really need to invest in better lighting. :goofer: Ribbit Ps: You can compare it to the one on CoinFacts, to get a better idea of what the obverse looks like: http://www.coinfacts.com/colonial_coins/new_jersey_coppers/maris_60p.htm Also, the little white specks is only dust.
That's a good point, Mark, and I think all of us collect what we like (and can afford) -- and these colonials are VERY expensive even in low grades when problem-free.
And they ain't getting any cheaper. I've been watching prices closely and they seem to be going up and up and soon it's going to be hard for me to afford them. But the ones with problems seem to stay reasonable so I will snatch them up when I can and fill my holes. They need a home just as much problem free coins do, so just call me The Corroded Copper Toad. Ribbit
