Flying Eagle!

[Shawn Hewitt]

I had a lifetime find for me yesterday at a favorite spot that has yielded plenty of good coins over the years. Last year I bought a CTX, but I still really love my Explorer II, especially as it has a Sunray probe attached, and its really hard to beat for a quick and easy hunt. But am trying to use the CTX more, made some customized search modes, and earlier in the year picked up the 17" coil. So yesterday using the CTX I used a custom mode focused on the 12 ferrous line, at hit a 12-27. Its a nice, strong signal, indicates its 5" down, so I dig and find the coin at the bottom of my plug. I was confused at first, thinking it was an Indian based on the back, but I turn it over and see nothing that I recognize from detecting before. Okay, seeing this smooth figure on the other side, I briefly thought it was foreign. Then it hit me. Its a flying eagle cent! I grabbed my camera for an in-situ picture, and its beauty. I called a friend and my wife to share the news.

Now that bad news... I get home about an hour later and pull the coin from my pocket, and it seemed to be oxidizing rapidly. This had happened with a some nickels I had found at this site on earlier hunts. In an attempt to stabilize it, I put it in olive oil, which seems to have helped. There is still dirt on the back of the coin, which I have not removed, for fear of further damage. My questions are: 1) what happened when the coin was exposed to the air, and 2) is there a good way to preserve or even restore the coin to a more natural look? I don't care about any numismatic value -- there's not much there anyway -- but I would like to show the coin to people without the distracting blotches. Any useful ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

[u2robert]

With it being copper I don't think there much you can do.
ON wheat cents I use 0000 steel wool very lightly.

 

[Shawn Hewitt]

I think its the nickel (12%) in the coin that's the problem.

 

[Jim Robertson]

I think its the nickel (12%) in the coin that's the problem.

Sweet find congrats

 

[bootyhoundpa]

Awesome find..ashame it peeled like that as it still has decent detail..

 

[laplander]

Congrats on your first flying eagle! On early Indians, nicks, 2 centers etc. dry is the way to leave them I have seen to many loose their face when exposed to oil / water.
HH Jeff

 

[ironman200081]

Congrats! I have only found one, and it peeled like yours did too.

 

[IDXMonster]

Yep, that’s a great find Shawn, and I have the same two machines as yourself(hard to choose which to use sometimes)! I have also, sadly, had coins oxidize VERY quickly, nickels in particular(shield and V’s do it badly). I have wiped detail with water and oil so like Jeff said...I leave them dry out and see how they wind up. Once the outside air hits that puppy after 150+ years in the ground....Võila! Chemistry lesson right before your eyes. Not the kind you want though....but it’s a great find and regardless of what it’s going to morph into, you should be proud. It is an elusive bucketlister for me.

 

[Robin (Big Fang)]

Nice find, looks like the patina came right off. Did you put it with other finds while you finished up? I use a pill bottle with cotton to put the top-pocket finds. Like Shawn sait it is most likely the nickel content that created the problem and of course any fertilizer it may have seen. Congratulations on the first!

 

[jamonah]

Nice find congrats sir!

 

[LTimedigger]

Elusive find. Because of the copper/nickel content, falls where most junk comes in and usually not even where rings show up. Were you hunting open screen?

 

[Ronstar]

Outside question here...... anything one should pack on them to put something like that into! Anything to apply to stop instant oxidation???