Vernon in Virginia~Formerly Alaska
New member
Most of you have seen the coin that cleaned up nicely yesterday (first photo and then cleaned in the secound photo). So today I tried to clean the 1831 large cent, you can see it on the bottom left of the 2nd picture. It still has good relief, and not a whole lot of wear. I was concerned about that green stuff that covers Lady Liberty's face like a beard, plus there's some in front of her face on the flat portion of the coin. I scrubbed on it with the Brasso and brass brush for about 45 minutes. I could see pretty much right off that there was pitting underneath that green stuff; not just a little pitting, but as you can see, a good bit of pitting( bottom photo on right). Had that not have been there, the coin would have turned out nicely. Once I saw how bad it was pitted, I never even finished it... bummer.
The difference in the two coins, I think, might have a lot to do with the location they were found in. The coin that cleaned up nicely was lost in an area that reverted back to woods; there was never any fertilizer or other chemicals sprayed on the ground, crops, or grass. The corroded coin, however, I found in my pasture and also was used for crops in the past. Fertilizer may have been used in this century, on those crops, having adverse affects on the coin. That's just a theory, but makes sense to me. I don't know why there's a difference in the two colors of the coin, as the same process was used in each.
Oh well, some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug.
[attachment 46622 1838Largecent.jpg]
[attachment 46621 together.jpg]
[attachment 46620 2.jpg]
The difference in the two coins, I think, might have a lot to do with the location they were found in. The coin that cleaned up nicely was lost in an area that reverted back to woods; there was never any fertilizer or other chemicals sprayed on the ground, crops, or grass. The corroded coin, however, I found in my pasture and also was used for crops in the past. Fertilizer may have been used in this century, on those crops, having adverse affects on the coin. That's just a theory, but makes sense to me. I don't know why there's a difference in the two colors of the coin, as the same process was used in each.
Oh well, some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug.
[attachment 46622 1838Largecent.jpg]
[attachment 46621 together.jpg]
[attachment 46620 2.jpg]