Need help - 1909-S IHC green with envy

Bikergeek

I'm not a copper guy. I bought this IHC raw over a decade ago to toss in my 7070. It has taken on the green cast you see in the photos. I'd appreciate suggestions on how to get the green out. I think I'm going to get it graded, as my 7070 stalled out and remains stalled. Thanks!

Note - these are pretty large files.

RichieURich

I would give acetone a try, maybe that would work.

Walkerguy21D

@RichieURich said:
I would give acetone a try, maybe that would work.

I agree, that’s probably the easiest and relatively safest option for the surfaces to try first.
Depending on the results of that, you may have to try soaking in olive oil or mineral spirits, etc if still not satisfactory.
I am a little suspicious about the areas of light color peeking through. Wondering if it was cleaned and recolored at one time?

jfriedm56

Acetone may work to clean it up somewhat, but I think if you send it in to be graded, it would still come back as environmental damage IMO.

BillJones

It’s corroded, and there is not a lot you can do for it. Green is not good for copper. A dull red - brown is sometimes seen on much older pure copper coins. That is a less problematic form of corrosion.

Copper-nickel coins turn black when they corrode. Sometimes there are green patches.

Coal black is not good for silver. It’s terminal state for silver tarnish.

tcollects

cover it in silicone for a month and the green crud will fall off gently with a toothpick under magnification - who knows what it'll look like?

PTVETTER

I don't use acetone on copper!
I use xylene on copper. I think for copper it's better !

MsMorrisine

i'm not suggesting this because i've not used it, but it's predecessor -- verdi-gone -- was highly regarded

perhaps othe forum members can comment on its use

https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/verdigone/

jesbroken

Sean,
If not in a hurry, I have had good results with an olive oil soak for 6 or more months, I found resting the coin on its edge to be the best for similar results per side. I place a plastic or wooden divider in a quarter plastic roll and cover the coin completely with olive oil. After 3 months regardless of results, I rinse with hot water, pat dry and resoak. I have had some coins that were too far gone, but have had success on many. Good luck. Just an opinion.
Jim

Walkerguy21D

@MsMorrisine said:
i'm not suggesting this because i've not used it, but it's predecessor -- verdi-gone -- was highly regarded

perhaps othe forum members can comment on its use

https://www.wizardcoinsupply.com/verdigone/

I have had no luck at all with it, on even small, light spots of verdigris.

Bikergeek

I neglected to mention, I did give it an acetone bath. Left it as you see it (pretty much unchanged). I greatly appreciate the info so far - will watch for a day or two to see if consensus builds here!

Bikergeek

@tcollects said:
cover it in silicone for a month and the green crud will fall off gently with a toothpick under magnification - who knows what it'll look like?

Can you elaborate on this? Like, silicone caulk from a tube, or silicone lubricant in a spray can, or ??

Shurke

I think @OAKSTAR has at least one great success story using Verdi-care on a Lincoln cent.

Married2Coins

I think acetone and olive oil are over rated for hard green deposits. I had an eight real with hard green stuff in the cracks and I soaked it in used MS-70 but forgot about it. The MS-70 turned it orange and purple but since it was silver U dipped it and it came out nice with all the green gone! I didn't take pictures and don't know how to post them anyway; however, try it for yourself (with pictures). It probably works on all the metals but use fresh MS-70 and watch your coin each day. I don't know about copper because you can't dip it.

Namvet69

Verdi Chem will definitely work. Use a q tip to pat and gently roll over surface. Good luck

Bikergeek

OK, acetone didn't work. I trust @jesbroken but I'm too impatient for the olive oil. I ordered the Verdi-Care and will update with results here later.

THANK YOU to the folks who shared ideas and experiences - it's appreciated!

PS. I have other misc. Danscos that have been sitting on the shelf at home for some number of years, and that includes some cents. Nothing high-value, but they are meaningful because my grandsons have helped me search rolls to fill the albums. I'm going to take a good look to see if any others are turning green...

OAKSTAR

Man, that's a 09-S! I would think long and hard before touching it! Yes, find a low-value similar coin and test that one first.

The looks of it, from where I sit would suggest it's a candidate for Verdi-Care. Most-likely several treatments, but I'm not an expert.

You seem destin to treat it, since you ordered the Verdi-Care. I would wait for some other opinions from the big guns here.

OAKSTAR

P. S. If you do treat it, post the after pics.

Here's the before and after of one of mine.

Bikergeek

Update (/non-update): I did a brief soak with verdi-care and agitated the surface a bit with a soggy toothpick. Not much happened. Then I soaked it for several hours in verdi-care, rinsed, and photographed. Not a big diff.

So I let it sit for several days, and when I thought about it again I soaked it in vinegar for a while, took it out and rinsed it, and now it's going to soak in olive oil for weeks. Maybe months. Maybe years.

This is why I don't collect copper.

Connecticoin

I have had a lot of success with verdi-gone, but the green on that coin appears far too embedded (as you found out). I would try a long (several months) soak in mineral oil.

What did the coin look like when you bought it? Surprised it would get env damage like that sitting in a Dansco.

Married2Coins

See my post above. Try soaking it in MS-70 but keep an eye on it. After a while it should come off with acetone on a Q-tip. ROLL DONT RUB!

OAKSTAR

Let's see some updated pictures.

Bikergeek

ugh... @OAKSTAR, I forgot about this and had it on a flat surface where other things landed on top of it. This is a hazard in my office. The olive oil didn't work magic but it seems to have softened the green stuff up. But another quick dip in acetone to get the oil off made it LIGHT UP green again. A soft wet toothpick end was able to take some of it off but that felt like work. So it's back in the olive oil tube until I get the hankering to do something with it.

@Connecticoin, I don't have any recollection of what it looked like when I bought it. All I know is, it was a local dealer that I had trust in, and my eye was much less mature than it is now (in terms both of matured capability as well as presbyopia) so that's a double-edged sword.

I'll check back in sometime in 2025.

BustDMs

I think the coin is terminal. Sell it raw for whatever you can get and don't look back- (something may be gaining on you!)

Cladiator

@Bikergeek said:

I'll check back in sometime in 2025.

Hey @Bikergeek , any update on this one?

jesbroken

SEAN, if in a hurry, disregard. If not, a 6 month soak in olive oil will do wonders as I see very little sign of deep green pitting. JMO
Jim

Bikergeek

@Cladiator and @jesbroken I'm going to dig this one out and take a look shortly. I back-burnered it because it aggravated me. :-) Will update as I take next steps...

Bikergeek

WOW! I can comment again!!! I was in the moderation glitch matrix for a few weeks. Rich and Jim musta had faith I'd get invited back in. So now I gotta change my avatar back tomorrow... :-)

TPring

What you have is not verdigris. Verdigris looks like the circled area [in the pic] and once removed, will leave a stain at best or pitting at worst. Verdi-care works to remove verdigris but does not create miracles on a coin. Acetone does slightly better than water, except on removing oils. I doubt there is much of anything that can make that coin look better.

mr1931S

@jfriedm56 said:
Acetone may work to clean it up somewhat, but I think if you send it in to be graded, it would still come back as environmental damage IMO.

Looks like a metal detector find. Acetone not going to do anything to improve it's appearance. Not a bad looking coin as it is.

fathom

Acetone. Definitely some corrosion there, it may slip by if the grader is having a good day.

Cladiator

@Bikergeek said:
WOW! I can comment again!!! I was in the moderation glitch matrix for a few weeks. Rich and Jim musta had faith I'd get invited back in. So now I gotta change my avatar back tomorrow... :-)

Looks like @Bikergeek can't post again, he can PM but not post. Very strange. CU Mods, any thoughts?

Pnies20

@Bikergeek said:
WOW! I can comment again!!! I was in the moderation glitch matrix for a few weeks. Rich and Jim musta had faith I'd get invited back in. So now I gotta change my avatar back tomorrow... :-)

Congrats bud 🤣

No Headlights

Looks like a metal detector find. I have had some moderate success with a dip in olive oil for a few days.

Bikergeek

@Pnies20 After you congratulated me, my comment ability disappeared again. I did get feedback from @PCGS_Hy on my trouble ticket for this problem. So this post is to test whether I'm On-Again, or Off-Again. :-)

Cladiator

@Bikergeek said:
@Pnies20 After you congratulated me, my comment ability disappeared again. I did get feedback from @PCGS_Hy on my trouble ticket for this problem. So this post is to test whether I'm On-Again, or Off-Again. :-)

Typekat

An easy sort-of fix for this kind of hopeless specimen:

A thorough application of nose grease will make it somewhat lustrous, and distract from its green-ness.