Has anyone ever found clad in nice shape?

cladking

I'm wondering about stuff that's been in the ground a while. Are there
any soils in which clad can remain relatively pristine for a long time?

pocketpiececommems

Not that I've seen. It doesn't appear to take a long time to make them tarnished by the number of tarnished state quarters that I've found.

mr3holesinone

I've found 1970ish Washington quarters that were ok. I'm talking they were buried about 2-3 inches deep and cleaned up alright. Yeah, sometimes they are tarnished a little but nothing as bad as a zinc penny that's been sitting there for three to six months. I don't think you'll ever dig a clad and want to slab it, lol.

goldrush00013

Have'nt found anyplace in Ohio that's kind to clad yet.

DesertRat

I would think a lot depends on the moisture content of the soil as well as the akalinity. I have found clad in the desert in great condition in areas where there is no irrigation and just left to our normal annual rainfall (which is next to nothing). Other places where there are sprinklers I find state quarters totally red in color.

cladking

Thanks.

This is very interesting and I'm glad I asked. I suppose clad will often survive in modern
landfills though. And there are probably billions in them. (or at least hundreds of millions)

HKnJ

<< <i>Are there any soils in which clad can remain relatively pristine for a long time? >>



I doubt that...Silver and gold are the only two metals (mainly in coins and jewelry) I know that can perhaps preserve their properties in soils. Clad coins in soil for a long time? Badly tarnished.

lordmarcovan

I have occasionally found clad coins that were still bright, but they usually weren't in the ground long.

Earl, aka "eyoung429", apparently has kind soil in Colorado.

Check out his digs from Round 4 of VTH3.

A lot of them don't even look dug. While there are no clad coins represented (mostly silver), note how the nickels are still white, and the 1974-S cent still has hints of red.

Of course, these could've been surface finds, or protected somehow by the ruins of the burned-out house he found them in.

I have heard of a two-cent piece found by the noted TH-ing author and columnist, H. Glenn Carson, that still had some red luster on it, because it had been protected in the ground by a fallen plaster wall. Carson is also from Colorado.

lordmarcovan

<< <i>I suppose clad will often survive in modern
landfills though. And there are probably billions in them. (or at least hundreds of millions) >>

I agree, on all counts. Both that they would survive, and that there are likely hundreds of millions, if not billions of them, out there.

Chances are, they are not going to excite future archaeologists much, unless they provide dating clues for certain sites. Of course, archaeologists as a rule tend not to get too excited about coins anyway, but do like finding them for the dating clues they provide.