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1939 British One Penny with odd, clear coating
Torontoyao
Posts: 5 ✭
Hi,
Just joined, first post- not even sure this is the correct spot to post. I found this in a coin bag of my grandmothers and I immediately noticed the colour then the odd coating. The colour is bronze, details are amazing, MS-like, but it almost looks like it was dipped in a clear shellac or something; on the obverse you can see what looks like tiny bubbles on Geo's face that popped before this layer - of whatever it is - dried. There doesn't seem to be true mint lustre on the coin either - lack of a true cartwheel. Should I attempt an acetone bath to remove this? Any advice, ideas, input on it would be greatly appreciated. After writing this, I can't seem to add pictures for you guys to see 😆, to be continued...
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It does sound like someone coated it to preserve the bright look. It may have been part of jewelry item at one time.
@291fifth ahh, interesting 🤔. I wish I knew how to post the pictures of it.
This is common on copper coins. It’s lacquer, and it can be removed with acetone
@Top50SetBuilder awesome, thanks for the info. Side note, I'm trying to upload pics but the picture icon only drops down the URL option, no option to "choose files"...any ideas? TIA
There should be a "Browse" button there, just above the URL entry box; click it and that should let you select a file.
It's possible that new members don't have access to the file upload option. In which case, you might need to upload the pic to a third-party site like Imgur, and post the URL from there.
As for your coin, I'd agree from the sound of it that it's been varnished. For the answer to "Why", it's impossible to know. Might be for making jewellery; might be a well-intentioned coin collector in an age before the invention of coin albums or 2x2s, it might even have been they accidentally dropped a penny into a jar of varnish and they never bothered trying to remove it. Unless your grandma is still around to ask, you'll probably never know.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.
@Sapyx unfortunately, I'll never know the 'why'. Thanks for the tip, I'll see to uploading, then linking via URL.
Lacquer was a common way to preserve a coin. For a copper/bronze coin, it would preserve the red luster if done when new.
Note the coin will be rejected by a TPG grading company if lacquered. But if you’re not interested in sending it in, why remove the protective lacquer? Once you remove it, the coin will tone and lose the red (if it has any).
I've seen lacquer be a Godsend to some copper. If it's done properly it does a very good job of preserving copper. I've revealed quite a few nice copper coins along my way by removing the lacquer with acetone!