I put one of my undated buffalo nickels in white vinegar ans it has been there for a day. Nothing looks different about it. How long should it be before i see results? Also do i need to put salt in the vinegar? I heard that somewhere. Thanks.
Don't bother with all that... just get yourself some "nic-a-date" and "bingo"... there's the date! http://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/product/nic-a-date.html
Sorry to hear about your prognosis...? I tried some dateless buffs in white vinegar. Most were showing restored date and other details within a week or so; after three weeks, there wasn't any further improvement, and I started to see more general deterioration. Nic-a-date is much faster, but gives a very different visual effect. I like vinegar's results better. If I'm going to render a coin "worthless", I'd at least prefer that it look nice when I'm done.
Contact your local constabulary to see what they use to capture the filed off serial numbers of hand guns used in a crime....... Smart alec answer. In truth, though, why even bother? The coin is beyond collectability. It lacks a date, and even if determined, the grade is so low who the devil cares? Just a crotchety old fools rant.......
I had about 20 null date buffalo's and recovered about half of them with the white vinnegar trick. It is true that they aren't worth much but it was a fun experiment for a crazy engineer like me.
I like keeping these dateless coins a mystery, makes them more fun because even if you discover the date, it doesn't change their grade or value.
While it is true the mystery is fun...it's also fun to "discover" a key date. I had a roll a of dateless nickels a while back that I did this and I found a key date Buffalo. I'm sure it is a little more valuable that if it were dateless..maybe not much, but I'm sure it's worth something.
Yes Nic-A-Date is faster but it is more expensive, and the coin comes out looking a lot uglier. I prefer the longer slower procedure that results in a better looking piece.
