World silver crown-size type coin collectors?

1867 Netherlands 2 1/2 gulden

 

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1869 Netherlands 2 1/2 gulden

 

Germany BRANDENBURG - KÜSTRIN Johann Taler 1545

 

1869 Peru 1 sol

 

This is not crown- or even half-crown-sized, but it does (barely) meet my 10g silver criterion.

1943 Australia florin

 

1872 Belgium 5 francs

 

1886 O US 1 dollar

 

1933 Netherlands 2 1/2 gulden

 

1818 1 Rouble, Russia (Alexander I). I like that it has the silver content taking up most of the reverse. I guess it's 4 "zolotniks" and 21 "dolyas."

 

1886 P US 1 dollar

 

is acetone similar to rubbing alcohol? If not, why?

 

nice thread. I don't know anythinng about crowns prior to 1800s, but the thalers and other crowns ive been seeing are nice. I would assume those crowns would be black in tone this far in the future, so does that mean they had to be abrasivley cleaned? Do any collectors do that here? Just curious, becuase i have some darker crowns and would like them to br lighter but acetone doesnt do anything.

 

Acetone is different from Rubbing Alcohol. The latter is Ethanol - the same stuff people drink - but mixed with other chemicals to make it unpalatable. Acetone is a different chemical - definitely not drinkable at all - with a familiar "pear-drops" smell. It is used most often a nail-varnish remover and in the manufacture of plastics and, I learnt recently, cordite.

Do NOT use anything abrasive to clean coins! You may not be able to see it but under a glass you create millions of tiny scratches, which completely wreck the coin. Buffing wheels do exactly the same, despite some metal workers maintaining they don't.
If you really can't cope with the dark tarnish a cautious dip in "Silver Dip" will remove most of it. Use this carefully - a short dip followed by a quick wash in clean water will take away the darkness, but too long and the coin will appear flat and lifeless as all the patina is removed. I find after washing a little light mineral oil protects the raw surface and restores some of the sheen.
But avoid any cleaning if at all possible.

 

1934 Peru 1 sol

 

I have always been scared of cleaning any good coin. If it's a dirt-encrusted low grade ancient, perhaps you have nothing to lose, but if it is in decent grade, everyone tells me you can easily do more harm than good.
In my experience pre-1800 silver coins are rarely black in tone and not necessarily even dark. It all depends on how much they circulated (some high value coins were presentation pieces or kept in secure places for occasional very large transactions when they would be transported across the country in large bags) and the conditions in which they were kept. Also, some have been cleaned a long time ago and have now acquired a new patina.

 

Germany BRUNSWICK-LUNEBURG-CALENBERG Georg Reichstaler 1638




Germany BRUNSWICK-LUNEBURG-CALENBERG Georg Wilhelm Reichstaler 1662

 

thanks for the tips, especially the mineral oil which i never heard before. However, regarding the acetone and rubbing alcohol, i know they're different but what i meant to ask is what do they do differently when using on coins? I ask because ive always used acetone, to roll a q-tip on coins. It's really useful for getting off pvc and turns the q-tip blue. Is rubbing alcohol just the same, or is it more/less abrasive, etc? thanks again

 

No problem. As far as I am aware they both aim really at dissolving the organic material on the coins - grease, wax, fats etc, which have accumulated over the years. These organics also contain colours - usually black or brown, and so removing them can improve the appearance of the coin.
I think Acetone is more powerful than rubbing alcohol, and maybe they work differently on different organics, but you need a chemist for that!
The Q tip approach is fine for obvious deposits, but many people recommend long soaks in your chosen solvent. Some say that Acetone can reduce verdigris and other non-organic deposits, though I am not sure how.
I have noticed that rubbing alcohol has a bleaching effect on copper and bronze coins after a day or two, so don't leave them soaking too long without checking. All these things are best tried out on scrap coins first so that you get familiar with the reactions.
By the way - some cheap nail varnish remover only has a small proportion of Acetone and is pretty much ineffective in the cleaning department!

 

1888 O US 1 dollar

 

Rubbing alcohol is usually isopropyl (vs. ethanol) in the USA, not sure about UK.
It is a quite different solvent than acetone. The former has much more solvent capacity with polar substances - water based basically. The latter has more capacity as a solvent with non-polar substances - such as oils, plastics, etc.
So although distantly related, have quite different properties.