Picked up this really rare 1868 nickle 3C piece with about 175° rotated dies. http://rotateddies.50webs.com/census.htm only shows 1868 3C pieces with 108° and 115° rotations and both are R7. This one is almost medallic alignment but not quite and not listed there. Problem is that it has glue residue and I was wondering if I should crack it out and give it a soak in acetone. I have given silver acetone baths but not anything made of nickle and want to make sure it would be ok. If so, how long should it soak? $37 ebay purchase by the way.
I can tell you this from dealing with glue in the past. Boiling distilled water will remove it in most cases,as most probably acetone. This issue is under that glue is another color tone of the coin. If the glue is removed the tone under it will be different than the natural surface. A catch 22.... if you get my drift. I can post a Morgan that glue was removed on its reverse and now two toned.
I think the glue will bother me more than the spotted surfaces. I will break it open today and see if i can remove the glue.
Assuming you're comfortable using solvents like acetone, this is my recommendation. 1. Find some glue in an inconspicuous area like the rim from 11-2 or better yet, the edge if there is residue there. 2. Dip a qtip in acetone (or xylene) and gently dab (don't wipe or rub) that area. Remember, Acetone evaporates quickly. 3. Look at the coin and qtip to see if anything is coming off. 4. Rinse thoroughly in distilled water. 5. Assuming you were able to remove some of the glue, check the area to see if the underlying surface is toned differently than the rest of the coin. You may want to try a second location. If you don't like the look of the underlying surface, you can quit without messing things up. If it looks like the glue is coming off and the underlying surface doesn't look bad, then try paddy54's method of soaking in distilled water. If some of the residue remains, you can use acetone to remove the rest of it. I suggested acetone instead of distilled water for the test patch because it should work a lot faster if you're dabbing it on in a small area. That's what I would do. Others may have different recommendations, so read them all and decide which, if any, is the best for you. Don't forget that acetone is a flammable chemical and should only be used in a well ventilated area.
I would take this one down the road @messydesk recommended, keeping Paddy's words in mind as a good reason. Yes, acetone will assuredly remove it, and boiling water most likely also since there were few inorganic compounds in use with glue more than 75 years ago. But what are you then left with, and is a coin with splotchy patina more eye-appealing than one with glue? Less relevant in this case, since the coin derives its' value wholly from the rotation. But, there is no way to accurately assess the look of the result before you conserve it. It's a risk.
Another thing to consider is that "Splotchy patina" is not going to land the coin in a details holder like "glue residue" will. I also don't think there'll be much splotchiness, since the coin was circulated before it was coated.
Well it is done. Brought the coin to my shop this morning to break it out in the vice and then use the acetone. No traces of glue seem to be present now and doesnt appear splotchy either. I will post pics later when I get home.
Alright. Looks to be a little bit still under the eye, but i think this looks much better than what it was. A little splotchy in the photo but it has much more even color in hand.
IMHO, you are not done. There is still a glue residue (yellowish discoloration) on the coin. Let it soak in acetone or Goo Gone.
SuperDave, posted:"But, there is no way to accurately assess the look of the result before you conserve it." Actually there is. Take a look at the original image with the glue. Note you can see that the coin is gray under the glue. This indicates the glue came after the coin had developed the natural gray color.
Looks like a win. The glue was applied after the patina fully developed, which you wouldn't have known before although it's a relatively safe assumption since it's a well-circulated coin that at least *some* of it would have been present over the whole coin..
