Is there any hope for conservation for this 1883 V-Nickel?
Jobessi
Posts: 267 ✭✭✭
I picked this V-Nickel up for $20 at an auction. I think the mark on the reverse might be from silver testing? Is there a way for it to be conserved enough to make a straight grade, or is it hopeless? Is it even worth it to send in for conservation? Any advice would be appreciated.
Farmer & Theatre Teacher by day…
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Unfortunately looks like corrosion. Could try soaking it in mineral oil for a few months but no way to reverse the environmental damage.
It's also a very common coin in that grade, and it's not worth spending the money to fix it.
The 1883 No Cents nickel was issued mid way through the year. Some of these pieces were gold plated and passed as $5 gold coins because the word "CENTS" did not appear in the design. That was fixed later in the year. People saved them because they thought they would be valuable. The high survival rate resulted in the opposite effect.
Corrosion. Don't buy problem coins. They just make someone else's problem your problem ... and ... can start costing you money if you try and "fix" the problem.
Even conserved, the coin wouldn't be worth $20. It would just be throwing more money at it. Unless it had sentimental value, there would be little point.
While you could probably get the corrosion removed, you would still be left with pitting of the surface.