Nic-A-Date Test

A suggestion: ad a tspn of salt to the vinegar. These 2 compounds create an acid likeness

 

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I didnt reply to this thread after I got the bottle.

I cant find them right now, but there were 6 dateless ones my grandpa gave me.
they were like 1914, 1915, 1916, and the other 3 were from the 20's

 

I used it today for the first time. The advice given to me was to heat the coin first...then add a drop and don't smug it like you do cleaning a penny (with a q-tip), it says to wash it off with warm h20 when you start to see the date. If you leave it on there for an extended period of time the solution starts to turn black, therefore burning deeper into the coin. I did about 20 coins today...cool product.

 

can this be used on coppers?

 

Don't!!!!!!!!!!

Don't put it on the copper!!!And i think silver is bad for it too. or vice versa. I think it turns it black....i can't quite recall...i just know copper is a no-no. Hope this helps.

 

An old thread but a subject I've been toying with as of late. Really - why not?

I have had decent results with Nic-A-Date. As for the unsighlty stain it leaves I first rinse, dry and then put it in 5% acidic white vinegar anywhere from a few hours to overnight. This tends to greatly even out the color.

Best "finds" so far were a 15-S, 16-S, a few 1914 and a few 18-D.

I've got an agreement with the boss. Any coin that retails over $10 in G4 he wants to see. Any less and it's mine. Considering he's just giving them to me it's a pretty good arrangement.

I sold the 15-S for him for $10 and yes I DID tell the buyer exactly what I did to the coin. It was a cheap filler. The $10 went to the boss and my supply is still coming in for nothing.

If nothing else it's a way to put a set together cheap.

 

I have been thinking it would be fun to Nic-a-date my roll of dateless Buffalo's. Maybe it would be a fun cheap hobby to pick up dateless nickels and see if I could put together a Nic-a-Date set. It would be super cheap and fun. I know there are some harder dates to find, but you never know.

 

Found a 1914-D tonight!

Had to give it two treatments to pull the date out clearly and now it's soaking in vinegar to "clean it up". Mintmark was strong from the beginning.

 

Wow!!!

Congrats on the 14-d! I found a 1916-D and I thought I had done well. Keep hunting!:thumb:

 

question on nic a date

If one of your coins is a date that eveyone wants and you put this product on it, will the coin be of any value? say its a 1914 s II is it worthless or is it concidered in the good range?
Thank you for your time.
Sherri

 

Good question Sherri. I wouldn't call it a G4 nor would I call it worthless. I have an arrangement with my boss (I work in a coin shop). I take them home and "play with them", if it lists over $10 in G4 he wants to know.
Last week I found a 15-S and it turned out real nice. I had actually sold a "non doctored" 15-S that day at work for $40 and mine looked better.
I knew I had a potential buyer so I asked the boss what he wanted for it. He said $10. I sold the coin for $12 and gave my boss $10. Key was I was up front about it. Heck, I showed the guy how I did it. I've been experimenting with my technique and getting better.

So yes, the coins do have value. It's a way to fill holes a lot cheaper. When I can sell a $40 coin for $12 and both parties are satisfied it's worth it. Just be up front about it as many collectors would NOT know it's acid dated.

 

Thank you very much for your answer it was very helpful. I have many coins at home with dates not showing and I think this will be interesting to try. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Sherri

 

Hi there, just wanted to know if the vinager worked on the coins yet? If so can you put a pic on here? Thank you cant wait to see how it worked.

 

No pics after vinegar Sherri but here's what I got before a final treatment.

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x275/clembo1872/scan0001-3.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x275/clembo1872/scan0003-9.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x275/clembo1872/scan0002-2.jpg

 

I've been using the stuff since I was about 12 (25 years ago) and have accumalated around 2000 , there cheap and fun to see what pops up. I've found about 10 1913-s type 2's which I've sold many of for about 25 dollars each; I've even found an 18/7-d by far the best I've found. I believe the active ingredient is iron chloride (acid) which reacts with the nickel in the coin leaving it etched. Hours of inexpensive fun!

 

Sweet ! I have a 1913D type 2 coin too! Sadly, haven't got a S buff

 

Restoring dates on nickels is alot of fun and cheap. I've been at it since I was about 20 (so about 20 years now). Someone in the thread wanted to know if treated coins where considered worthless. The answear, at least from my standpoint is no. As long as it is a better date they still have some value, much less than an untreated coin but still not bad considering you can usually pick up no date rolls for around 5 to 8 dollars. I recently sold a restored date 1913-S Type 2 on ebay for fifty some dollars, and have sold four or five others for twenty five dollars. It's a far cry from the 300 they bring untreated. My best find has been a 1918/7-D nickel, I've only found the one but was thrilled. The down side is I have a couple thousand common dates as well, but I think any nickel with an treated date is better than a no date coin. Also be on the look at for other variety coins when going through dateless nickels-I ran across a 1915 double die obverse nickel while acid dating once as well which is a sought after coin even treated. Happy Hunting. Oh as a referecne I've found the key dates 1913-d type 2's and 1914-d's acid dated usually bring 5 to 8 dollars on ebay. 1921-'s 8-10 dollars (they usally have stronger acid dates), and 1913-s type 2's 25 to 50 dollars. On other mint marked coins tougher to sell, remember the reason these early mint marked coins have some value in good condition is that most have lost their date so the remaining coins with untreated date are fairly rare. For instance there are many many many more dateless 1916-d's out there than 1916-d's with date. So a good 1916-d might be worth 8 dollars despite the higher mintage because perhaps only 25% of that mintage has survided with a date. Well happy hunting hope someone finds a 1916 double die.

 

I agree. My view is, they really can't be worth less than a no date Buffalo. Many of the dates might not be worth any more than a no date, but they can't be worth less IMHO.

Plus, it's fun to do.

 

Old thread revival.

I found this dateless Buffalo in a parking lot when I was going to pick up a 24 oz. "refreshing malt beverage" at the gas station last Sunday . I'm going to try a vinegar soak and see what pops up. I can see that it has an S mint mark without the vinegar.