British copper experts! Is this a bronzed proof?

1jester

1845 quarter cent East Indies

I wonder about the remains of what looks like a coating of bronze on the surface of the coin. The coin is worn, and most of the coating is gone, but might this be an impaired proof? Naturally I am not referring to the crud between the devices.

7Jaguars

= verdigris.


No proof, no bronze.

1jester

Thanks for your response, 7J. I can see the junk between the devices, which I assume to be verdigris. However, this is not what I am talking about, and to me these two things are separate and unrelated. What I refer to is the very thin layer of dark red color across the surface of the coin, more visible on the obverse than the reverse. To me it seems to resemble a coating of something on the coin that has been worn off after the coin obviously spent much time in circulation. That's why I asked if anyone can compare what they see here to a bronzed proof coin. What would a bronzed proof coin look like if it spend time in circulation?

PS: This coin is mine, and therefore I'm particularly interested in listing it as a bronzed proof if indeed it is. If not, that's fine too. But I would really like to know how this dark reddish layer got on the coin then.

Sapyx

I would think the red is just surface discolouration. I've seen similar on coppers that have been chemically cleaned. At a guess, I'd say someone's had a go at removing the green death from this one, and been only partly successful.

It's a curious attribution this seller's made - "British East Africa". I wouldn't think to look at a coin with this title if I were looking for a Straits Settlements coin.

1jester

Sapyx, thanks for your views. I believe you might be right about the cause of the dark red layer, though it appears to me to be under the verdigris, in which case it would seem to me to predate the verdigris and not be a result of cleaning. You are also correct in the misattribution by the seller.

7Jaguars

Yes, I was also speaking of the "thin layer of red" and feel that is not other than oxidative process. The verdigris is naturally more pronounced through the letters but is just a different and more aggressive form of oxidation than the red to which you refer.

In any case, the red is not at all like the bronzing of some Brit pieces so would not accept it as that. If you really are curious as to the composition of the red, I believe you could take it to a local university lab - my guess is that it is a sulfa- oxide of some variant however.

1jester

Thanks for the explanation, 7J.