The right coin to dip?
erwindoc
Posts: 5,167 ✭✭✭✭✭
I know I might be opening a can of worms, but its a legit question to other members. I've learned through trial and error the right coins to put MS70 on, which Ive found are typically higher grade AU-MS coins. Anything less and it just makes them too bright for their level of wear. I have less experience with EZ-est and other products to dip coins. So, other than trial and error, what are the best candidates for a quick dip? Some quick guesses would be Proof coins with brownish haze or light toning. Nothing with heavy spots or obvious environmental issues. Lets hear them....
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Can of worms, yes indeed. That said, I have a good bit of experience with MS70. It is a good product when used appropriately. A hint is that the product is NOT called MS63 or AU58.
I have used this on a lot of Mercs from my childhood collection that was passed down from my father. Anything in the slider range of AU58 to MS63 or sometimes MS64 and the ugly toning that is removed will reveal flat gray spots/areas where the luster layer was gone. Now you have a coin that was obviously cleaned and it needs to re-tone so that those flat gray areas are covered up. If you have clear MS66 or higher coins (MS65 can go either way and is more risky) that seem to clearly have great luster all over the coin but might have a light haze or very lightly toned areas that "look" like they will dip right off then you have the right candidates...at least when it comes to most 20th century silver, especially Mercury Dimes. I have used a q-tip dipped in the MS70 for one side (only VERY VERY lightly moving the liquid around on the surface of the coin...no PRESSURE!) and then the other end of the q-tip for the reverse. Wear Gloves! Do not get that stuff on your hands! It causes cancer in California...thankfully all other states are protected. LOL. Once you are done, rinse like a mad man under warm water for a bit, flipping the coin over etc in your gloved hand. After that, lay the coin down on a paper towel or two, flipping it a couple of times (no rubbing, wiping or patting) then you can hold the coin by the edges and let it air dry. It's that simple.
Some Mercs that I have "crossed" to PCGS, I have cracked out of other holders, done this and then just sent into PCGS raw. I have had very good luck with the product but that is because I used it on cheap coins from my childhood and LEARNED A LOT! All of that said, if you perceive ANY slight risk at all, DON'T DO IT!
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
Proof coins with haze are good candidates.
Warnicks . . . . . .
Drunner
I have been dipping Merc Dimes for atleast 20 years. If the coin does not have almost complete cartwheel luster I do not attempt to dip it. Solid Black Crusty dimes are never dipped. They turn to junk easily. Below is my last attempt at dipping a Merc. The coin was darker than the sellers picture.
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What I use to dip a coin is 2 table spoons of Tarn-x mixed with 4 or 5 table spoons of water. This mixture is diluted enough that just a small amount of Tone or whatever comes off with each 3 to 5 second swishing dip. Sometimes I have to dip up to 10 times to get the desired effect. Of course you have to rinse with Acetone and then water after each dip. This method has worked very well for me through the years.
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Ken
@Fairlaneman I'm not keen on dipping but that 26-P went from death by explosive diarrhea to a somewhat presentable album coin.
I guess this is where experience comes into play.
Yeap! Only experience and the penalties that come with it will tell you which coins are worth trying to conserve and which coins you will trash!
@keyman64 and @Fairlaneman .... Those are both good methods... and the recommendations match my experience (when I was doing such things years ago)...I pursued those techniques for knowledge since years ago, tarnish was a major focus of many discussions. Personally, I do not buy coins with tarnish....And once I own a coin, they have strict orders - "DO NOT TARNISH!!"
Cheers, RickO
I haven’t cleaned a coin since I used my mom’s copper cleaner on my Lincoln Cent collection when I was 10! 😮
Working coins is not my thing.
Happy Father’s Day!
Dave
I’ve dipped a few coins over the years. Some were experiments and I agree that it works best when there’s a lot of luster on the coin. Only one that I’ve dipped has gotten any secondary toning after 15 years and only a very small spot.
I had a Walker which had a yellowish layer of silver sulfide on its surfaces which hid brilliant luster. A careful dip removed the silver sulfide. A dealer did this for me many years ago. The coin is in an MS 66 holder with a sticker.
"Seu cabra da peste,
"Sou Mangueira......."
In the past I used MS70 and had good results on mottled toned silver. It didn't strip the coin down as much as the EZest does. You need to be more careful with ezest because it will destroy the luster if you dip the coin too many times or leave it too long in the dip. And you need to neutralize it. I once used MS70 on a silver coin that had a crescent of black toning on it. The black toning came off but it left a grey dull surface behind.
"You need to be more careful with ezest because it will destroy the luster if you dip the coin too many times or leave it too long in the dip."
VERY IMPORTANT. I did exactly this, to a gem BU 1917 Standing Liberty quarter about 47 years ago. I left it in the dip way too long, thinking that if a few second are good, 15 minutes will be better.
I still have it (it was a gift from my grandmother), and there isn't a speck of luster left.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
sound advice.
on the other hand, there have been a few coins, circ, over the years, that were so blotchy/dark/stubborn, that i feel they were better simply stripped of everything, mostly vf/xf coins and a couple hours sitting in the solution worked out ok. mostly, those were first reported/discovery coins and every pup needed to be identifiable. if i could see severe pls on the coins, i'd have to think long and hard first.
that 26p merc is impressive. tough to simply "peel back" a little of the tone so evenly. i may try this formula out.
Hmmmmm. I've left Peace dollars in full-strength EZ-est for several days without hurting the luster at all. Chemically, it won't react with elemental silver, only silver compounds.
I strongly suspect there wasn't much there to start with and you just uncovered what was really under the toning.
But, I'm no dipping expert - just did a few experiments with bullion-value stuff to better interpret what I was seeing in the market. Whatever you do, practice a lot on junk silver before you make a mistake that really messes up a nice coin. It's a little unpredictable at times, even for people that do it all the time.