Anyone ever use Deller's on copper? silver? My grandfather talked about it, but what is the story?

TexasNationals

I admit I have a bottle and have for a long time. I remember when I was a pre-teen I had a 1827 sq. base 2 in XF that was like a mirror (cleaned, polished, buffed, pencil eraser.... you get the idea) so I asked my local card and coin dealer (more of a card dealer- Pre PSA days) what to do and he gave me a nickel roll full of yellow gunk. He told me it was his own darkener of petroleum jelly and sulfur (sulpher. sulphur, whatever) and to apply a thin coat and let her sit for a while and it would look great. I remember rubbing it on the coin and hearing the clumped yellow mineral gritting into the coin (my spine still hurts at the sound) like chalk. I put it on top of the water heater in the moist, hot, dark and damp garage and went to bed. The next morning I remember running down the stairs like a kid at Christmas looking for his new Red Book and 1/4oz. Maple Leaf proof (thanks dad, love ya!) and thinking I wonder if it turned even a little? To my horror I pulled a bustie out of brown envelope and 2.5x2.5 flip that was blacker than a starless Afghanistan night on a mountain in Tora Bora! I mean it was pitch black, shiney and 100% worse than my little fingers even imagined. I went screaming and crying to pops where he calmly re-assured me and commenced operation oxidized exodus! Well long story short by the time we got done we had stripped it to F+/VF form XF and it was as gray, grainy and matte as a 1997 SMS Jefferson in MS-70 FS

So what did I learn.........? First my coin dealer should stick to cards and avoid chemistry. I needed to leave well enough alone and buy nicer coins I didn't need to destroy. So fast forward 20 years or so and



apparently I learned nothing and am more curios now than my youth. So........

Have you used it?

Copper??

Silver???

How much do you put on???? A super thin film or a healthy heaping?????

How long do you let it sit??????

I would love to see pictures and if you don't want to let the cat out of the trunk you can send them, via of PM to me and I will take it to the grave with me, scouts honor!

lkeigwin

I have some too, and I experimented with it on some worthless cents. I think the idea is to use it on new scratches, to conceal. The marketing material talks about making album coins "presentable" but "please, don't try to deceive."

I probably used it wrong but no matter what I tried...surgical application, thin, over-all coat, 10 minutes or overnight...the results were always dismal.

Honestly, I think it's junk. I can't see any legitimate use. Toss it. Besides...it's doctoring, right?
Lance.

TexasNationals

I hear you Lance, but by messing with it on junk not for sale (will destroy, spend or mark and use as an example) it may help me avoid getting hosed myself, or is there nothing to learn? Is it really that bad? Seems like after 60 or so years it must do something somewhat decent for bad coins?

lkeigwin

Maybe there's some use. I don't know. Perhaps 60 years ago collectors looked at coins differently? LOL.

I could never get an application to blend. Maybe I needed a syringe for precision.

I tried it on red copper, to see how it would come out. Dark and uneven.

Like you, I wasn't interested in doctoring. I don't sell raw stuff. I just wanted to be able to recognize it, so I wouldn't fall prey.
Lance.

JRocco

It has been around and used for a long time.
I have never used it myself but have seen the end result many times.

lordmarcovan

I've used it but have done better with my friend's Sutton's Home Brew mix. The Sutton's has more sulfur in it and works faster. Deller's is kinda wimpy.

lordmarcovan

BTW, I've always used the sulfur pastes on copper, not silver.

PerryHall

I've never tried it but I understand you can take powdered sulfur and mix it with petroleum jelly to effectively darken unnaturally bright copper coins that have been harshly cleaned. If you're patient it may be easier to just put a harshly cleaned coin on a sun lit window sill and let it retone naturally over a period of time.

amwldcoin

LOL...I know a few that have a secret to toning down cleaned copper. I guess if you have sweaty,smelly,stinky feet it would tone anything...LOL...they put it in their shoe and walk around with it in there for a period of time! LOL...yeah...wanna sniff that nice Large Cent and see if it smells like stinky feet?

pmac

<< <i>LOL...I know a few that have a secret to toning down cleaned copper. I guess if you have sweaty,smelly,stinky feet it would tone anything...LOL...they put it in their shoe and walk around with it in there for a period of time! LOL...yeah...wanna sniff that nice Large Cent and see if it smells like stinky feet? >>


Do you want to ruin the new PCGS sniffers?

Walkerguy21D

I am seeing more large cents that have been subtly retoned, deceptive to the point where it could fool a lot of people.
It's not 'natural', and I'm fairly sure it is something other than Deller's Darkener, but have no idea what it is.

PerryHall

<< <i>LOL...I know a few that have a secret to toning down cleaned copper. I guess if you have sweaty,smelly,stinky feet it would tone anything...LOL...they put it in their shoe and walk around with it in there for a period of time! LOL...yeah...wanna sniff that nice Large Cent and see if it smells like stinky feet? >>



Sounds uncomfortable to walk around with a coin in your shoe.

ebaytrader

<< <i>

<< <i>LOL...I know a few that have a secret to toning down cleaned copper. I guess if you have sweaty,smelly,stinky feet it would tone anything...LOL...they put it in their shoe and walk around with it in there for a period of time! LOL...yeah...wanna sniff that nice Large Cent and see if it smells like stinky feet? >>



Sounds uncomfortable to walk around with a coin in your shoe. >>



You've never heard of...


Penny Loafers?

beartracks42

I have a "Copper" friend who messes around with copper coins just for his own learning experience and not to fool anyone. The last thing he told me he was into was to insert a copper coin inside a potato. This was an attempt to remove corrosion products and bring the coin back towards normal appearance. I think that it had mixed results, which probably depended on what coin condition he started with.

shorecoll

The active ingredient is sulfur. There are lots of recolored coppers around and I assumed it was Deller's. Any compound containing sulfur would do it...I think there's a medicated shampoo that has sulfur in it and you can probably buy pure sulfur from a hobby place that sells chemistry sets. Pharmacies used to sell it, but I don't know if they do any more. You could try the Deller's in different times, or just try putting it in an airtight container with some. You could heat the sulfur, but I wouldn't do it in the kitchen. Coin docs probably burn sulfur all the time, it helps them prepare for where they're going after they die.

ricko

Just put the copper in a small jar with some fresh, crushed, hardboiled egg yolks... put the top on and leave it for a day...NOT in contact with the yolks. Cheers, RickO

OldEastside

Hey TN, never heard of Dellers until now, but I have a
Black Powder Reb60 Navy Arms 44 Pistol, the kind with
a Brass Frame and if I'm not on top of it after shooting
it (I always clean the barrel and cylinder in warm soapy
water after) but the frame will darken rather quickly from
black powder residue from shooting or whats left on my
hands and normal handling. Just a Thought

Steve