Got my new v3i yesterday and a large cent

[wingizzmo]

OK let me start off by saying Whites has the best service I called them a week ago and told them that my v3 was having battery problems it did something to my rechargeable battery so it would not charge anymore would use regular batteries then when they dropped below 9v they would leak in the detector they took my address and shipped me a new v3i now I have to ship the old one back WOW NOW THATS SERVICE.
So now on to the large cent took the new v3i out to a park that dates to the early 70's I was thinking nothing old there just wanted to try out the new machine and see what the new features are so was clad hunting then I got a deep penny dime signal 9in so started digging and there it was 1842 large cent my third one since august so I guess you never know whats in the ground even if it only dates to the 70's .

 

[Neil in West Jersey]

That is a great find! Three since august in tremendous!

Even though the park only dates back to the 70's, there was something there before (or the fill was brought in from another site). My house was built in 1963. When I got my first detector I dug a lot of Mercury dimes and a crotal bell on my own lawn. Apparently it was all farm dating way back. Check out historicaerials.com to see what was at the park site prior to 1970.

What part of the country do you live in?

 

[wingizzmo]

Hi Neil I live in central mass I looked at old maps of the area shows vacant land so who knows what was there. The aerials only go back to 1970 around here the park was not there in 70 Here is a pic of the cent fronts kinda crusty but at least the date is there !

 

[burlbark]

Soak that baby in distilled water for a month. Then pull it out of the water and dry, follow by heating it up submerged in olive oil. It will literally cook all the oxidation off of it. Once the oil starts smoking and bubbles have slowed coming off of it drop the coin immediately in cold water. This will separate the crust from the coin. At this point you must not brush the coin with anything other than a soft brush and use dab motions rather than stroking. I also like to use a water jet to clean at this point and dishwashing detergent. I have cleaned all my copper coins this way and they only darken a little and it brings out lost detail even when the date appears unreadable. I cannot begin to tell you how well this works. I would recommend that you use the smallest utensil you have that can hold enough oil to submerge the coin and no more. I use a gas range indoors. By all means start on a crusty wheat before you try it on that coin and see if you like the outcome.

Nice one.

 

[wingizzmo]

Thanks for the info on cleaning I will try it !

 

[earthmansurfer]

Soak that baby in distilled water for a month. Then pull it out of the water and dry, follow by heating it up submerged in olive oil. It will literally cook all the oxidation off of it. Once the oil starts smoking and bubbles have slowed coming off of it drop the coin immediately in cold water. This will separate the crust from the coin. At this point you must not brush the coin with anything other than a soft brush and use dab motions rather than stroking. I also like to use a water jet to clean at this point and dishwashing detergent. I have cleaned all my copper coins this way and they only darken a little and it brings out lost detail even when the date appears unreadable. I cannot begin to tell you how well this works. I would recommend that you use the smallest utensil you have that can hold enough oil to submerge the coin and no more. I use a gas range indoors. By all means start on a crusty wheat before you try it on that coin and see if you like the outcome.

Nice one.

Also a thanks for that cleaning recipe. I dig lots of old copper coins in Germany and don't really know how best to clean them.

Sometimes copper coins get a nice green "patina" (I know copper greens but those that are a hundred years old have a nice coating - I leave those on.)

 

[Neil in West Jersey]

Looking at that coin I would not attempt to clean it. I think any remaining detail will be lost. Better off leaving that one as is.

I do not like the results of olive oil. I prefer soaking my coppers in heated hydrogen peroxide. Heat 1/2 inch of the solution in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes until it boils, then add the coin and watch it fizz!

When the fizzing is done the coin is clean. Sometimes it takes a gentle wiping with a wet q-tip to remove the loose dirt.

 

[Larry (IL)]

That is a nice find and I would agree with Neil on cleaning it. The back looks like it could handle some manual cleaning but the front looks like it could flake off some of your detail with too much cleaning.

 

[burlbark]

That is a nice find and I would agree with Neil on cleaning it. The back looks like it could handle some manual cleaning but the front looks like it could flake off some of your detail with too much cleaning.

When the coin is struck the edges and outline of characters is denser through much of the coin. When using the method I suggested, the microscopic layer of oxidation/corrosion is removed in such a uniform manner that the denser section of print actually get bolder. The most important thing that I have found is not to scrub at all. Dabbing with a short bristle soft brush is the way to remove the stubborn grit, but water jetting is preferred. I have not tried the peroxide myself, I just went with what was available and it worked better than I could have hoped.

I dont have before pictures of this coin but I could only tell it was a wheat by the ears of wheat on the back side of it. There was no legible date and no discernible writing on it. I would of course recommend anyone doing this for the first time do this on a coin of little value and see if it is to your tastes. Like anything else in life this is not a sure thing. His coin could lose detail. Or may gain some.

Nice find though and now I have to go....