Some finds I recently cleaned

[Geologyhound]

I know cleaning/not cleaning and method of cleaning may be controversial. I do not post this with the intention of discussing whether or not to clean, nor the merits of any particular method. I simply wish to show some results.

I recently found some old coins and a token. The Indian head penny was so badly crusted that some faint relief was visible where the date should be. The head was barely visible. The token had the number five visible on one side and nothing was legible on the other side. As such, I considered them essentially worthless unless more details could be seen.

For this reason, I obtained a set of the Andre’s cleaning crayons from an Internet vendor. I got the set with five tools – one white fiberglass, two black (hard and soft), one scraper, one steel wool. My basic take on this set is the white is coarse, the blacks are medium and fine, and the steel wool is clean up. I did not use the scraper. I probably spent at least two hours on the three items I cleaned.

Before and after pictures are attached. The mercury dime was not cleaned at all, I just don’t have any other before pictures. I didn’t really do much with the V nickel other than clean up around the stars. However, I think the difference on the Indian head penny and the token is night and day. Not only is the date clearly visible on the penny, but so is liberty on the headband. The token is now clearly identifiable. My previous oldest coin was 1882. So, I am especially pleased that this “new“ penny is now my oldest coin!

In hindsight, I think my biggest mistake was trying to clean them up too much right after I got home. Even with a soft bristle toothbrush, I lost part of the rim by scrubbing too hard. In the future, I think I may gently remove what dirt is loose and let the rest dry and harden before attempting to clean.

I can post more about how I proceeded if anyone is interested.

 

[still looking 52]

That's some old coins right there, thanks for sharing.

 

[miserman]

From a badly crusted Indian Head to what is shown is quite a feat. How was it cleaned?

 

[Geologyhound]

From a badly crusted Indian Head to what is shown is quite a feat. How was it cleaned?

I used a set of Andre’s crayons. This set was about $25 online (but note I am not showing a vendor in the picture as I don’t want to run afoul of any advertising restrictions). Generally, I used the white fiberglass tip in small circles in an area that appeared to be devoid of any pattern. I would keep checking with a different angle of light but keep “digging“ until I could just start to see darker lines through the tan dust. Then I would switch to the harder, than the softer black tip until I could clean up the actual surface. I figure the white is probably “coarse“, the harder black is probably “medium” and the softer black is “fine“.

After that, I would dust it off with the steel wool tool. At that point in time I knew how deep the surface of the coin was. I then started to work out from there and encompass areas which might have details. Once I had each area surrounded, I would start to work my way in by very gently rubbing across the top (first with the white tip then later with one of the two black tips) to remove a layer of cemented dirt, dust it off with the steel wool tool, then check it for any possible pattern showing through. As text would start to emerge, I would tighten up the perimeter to define the top and bottom of the letters/pattern and then work my way down until I could start making out individual letters (even if I couldn’t make out what the letters were). After successive rounds of this, letters would start to become more evident. I could then clean up around each letter with the soft black tip and dust it off with the steel wool tool.

I used the soft black tip to clean up the details on the head. Basically, it appears to be harder than the dirt but softer than the surface of the coin as long as you don’t push too hard on a fragile patina. So when the head was exposed, I just scribbled in small circles across the whole head, and concentrated in areas where a bunch of tan dust would start to accumulate. Areas between the writing and the rim were too narrow for circles so I just went back-and-forth in a trench until I could just start to see the surface of the coin and then proceeded as above.

I imagine soil conditions and hardness of cementation vary by location. So results may vary. I strongly suspect the coins need to be dry (and the patina hardened up) for a couple days before working on it. These had dried for a couple days. As I mentioned, when I scrubbed the coins with a soft bristle toothbrush and water right after getting them home trying to find a date, I lost part of the rim. I have to wonder if it would’ve sloughed off anyway. But I don’t know at this point.

As with any tedious activity, it requires a certain amount of patience. So you have to be willing to put it down and come back to it. Work in a location with good lights, a magnifying glass may help, and you’ll probably get a kink in your neck... But seeing the difference in these made it all worthwhile to me. At least these are my observations based on one night’s work. I would not classify myself as an expert in the matter…