Options
Coin cleaning question
Stork
Posts: 5,205 ✭✭✭✭✭
Nope, not doing it...but I have a question. I bought a few lots on eBay just for fun, that basically were pages out of someone's binder that had a bunch of Japanese, French and Spanish coins. I wasn't really expecting any fabulous finds, it was more for the fun in poring over them, and they have been very entertaining. Fortunately there was one French coin that basically covers the value of the lots...which was cool.
(BTW if you are ever dispensing of some lots and there is one 2x2 marked with a pretty red star, it might behoove the seller to look that one up...just sayin').
Anyway, most of the coins were either circ, or lower value uncirc stuff, which was cool...but a couple of the aluminums also made this a worthwhile lot. Whoever the guy was who had the collection did have them all in nice, archival 2x2, well labeled (with a couple dating errors only) and the dude/dudette has the best handwriting. Totally legible. BUT, it does look like he did some kind of brightening thing to a couple of the old brass 1 yens (which was a shame, I'm looking to upgrade there), as well as some of the copper 10 yens. Very disappointing there, as one of them is a better date (and unfortunately labeled as the best date, but that was an error), but they are a nice, BRIGHT, orangey-red, at odds with the AU nature of them.
So what does one use on the coins to get that hue? I don't want to replicate it in any way of course, but I'm curious. I had an old 1/2 sen in an ANACS yellow slab that called it 'recolored'...and it had a bit of that orange/red tinge to it. I'm not sure I would have noticed it as much on the 1/2 sen as it really was an uncirc coin, but ANACS noticed it. I guess I'm not used to looking at messed with copper as long as you don't count the wheaties I gave the eraser treatment to as a pre-teen.
(BTW if you are ever dispensing of some lots and there is one 2x2 marked with a pretty red star, it might behoove the seller to look that one up...just sayin').
Anyway, most of the coins were either circ, or lower value uncirc stuff, which was cool...but a couple of the aluminums also made this a worthwhile lot. Whoever the guy was who had the collection did have them all in nice, archival 2x2, well labeled (with a couple dating errors only) and the dude/dudette has the best handwriting. Totally legible. BUT, it does look like he did some kind of brightening thing to a couple of the old brass 1 yens (which was a shame, I'm looking to upgrade there), as well as some of the copper 10 yens. Very disappointing there, as one of them is a better date (and unfortunately labeled as the best date, but that was an error), but they are a nice, BRIGHT, orangey-red, at odds with the AU nature of them.
So what does one use on the coins to get that hue? I don't want to replicate it in any way of course, but I'm curious. I had an old 1/2 sen in an ANACS yellow slab that called it 'recolored'...and it had a bit of that orange/red tinge to it. I'm not sure I would have noticed it as much on the 1/2 sen as it really was an uncirc coin, but ANACS noticed it. I guess I'm not used to looking at messed with copper as long as you don't count the wheaties I gave the eraser treatment to as a pre-teen.
0
Comments
I had a silver lot from yahoo auctions (long ago 2006 maybe) of world coins like this years ago. Not in flips but sold in bulk and found alot of nice pieces because the seller only delt in USA coins and never hsd the interest to check. I bought them at melt value when silver sat almist at 5$ inside was a Gothic florin which I recently got graded AU58 and 1890 1/2 dinero which graded MS66 and a few nice other coins. Deals like this don't happen ofeten but enjoy them when u can find them
Chris
<< <i>(BTW if you are ever dispensing of some lots and there is one 2x2 marked with a pretty red star, it might behoove the seller to look that one up...just sayin'). >>
But what if it is marked VERY prominently with a Cupcake Unicorn? Then it must be REALLY special.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
I'll have to grab a photo, but these are very OC neatly done, so the star was a real standout. Needless to say I checked her other auctions and there weren't any more red stars....
Fortunately the old collector did not appear to have messed with the aluminum coins.
Warning! The EAC copper guys and other copper pros will know you've messed about with almost any "recoloring" product on copper/bronze/brass coins.
Funny, I got my second lot of low-expectation coins today and they were even worse. Whizzed/polished and then shined I do believe. Sadly there really was one of the best date 10 yens there...a couple hundred dollars worth of coin scrubbed away. Oh well, for a few bucks it was fun to look them over, but this last lot isn't even worth the time to bury in the dirt. The seller is clearly a non-coin person and I can only hope this is how he got them, not what he did to gussy them up.
Oh well, it's fun enough to look at them, and I do find a few nice things once in awhile. Just not today!