Black copper NEED HELP

mbbiker

How can i get my 2 cent piece back to a copperlike color so i can see some detail in my coin.

TomB

I hope there is more detail visible on that coin than what is shown in your image. If it's corroded there isn't much you can do for it, however, if it has tons of crud and dirt on it you might be able to get some of it off in a relatively harmless manner by soaking in olive oil or mineral oil. You might even use soap and water. There have been several threads about this problem and you may be able to read what others have suggested by using the search feature. I wouldn't expect miracles though. Good luck.

mbbiker

sorry for the ttt
last try with this thread
If i don't get an answer i'll just have to send it to ACG the way it is

littlewicher

I don't see a picture?

mbbiker

Here's the pic,
don't know if you want to look at it though

mrdq

give the thread a day or so. MANY people don't hang out here all day with baited breath for posts to arrive for them to comment on. This is by FAR my busiest day but only because i've been working on rebuilding a friends PC and photographing a huge coin lot so i've been sitting at my desk for 12 hours


Give the copper guys some time to see the thread and respond. Most casual readers / posters sift through more than just the front page of posts looking for interesing posts.

spinaker2000

why clean it at all? Alot of folks really like dark copper. I would think that you could find a lite brown 2 cent in F-VF for not too much. Say, $30- $40.

mbbiker

I think this is a 1864 small motto but i can't tell because the coin is to dark that is why i put up a pic of only the rev, i bought it as a LM but i'm 95% sure its a SM just want to clean to to make sure

spinaker2000

If you insist on a cleaning, (which I have never attempted on copper), I would go with the soap/water just to remove dirt. Otherwise, i'd keep it orginal as possible.

clackamas

Personally I would not clean it with anything. I f you do want to clean it don't use anything other than acetone and/or MS70. MS70 will probably bring out the color in it, rainbow shades of sorts. I vote for not touching it at all.

mbbiker

here is the obv. scan

clackamas

Is the one of those invisible coins? If so they are worth a ton when you find one Acetone it first then try MS-70 if your not happy. Neither of these two methods will alter the toning on the coin and therefere, IMO, ruin it.

Brian

Conder101

I would recommend not cleaning it. If the copper has oxidized to the point of being black then the only way to restore any "copper"color to it would be to strip the surfaces and that would also strip away most any value that the coin has. And from what I can see from the scan, yes you do have a small motto. I'm about 90% sure, but I'm working from a dark scan and not the coin.

1jester

My vote: keep it the way it is (unless it's dirty). I like dark-toned copper.

I have a small shilling from Poland, 1761. It's really black! But also MS something. I love it, and wouldn't dare touch it.