I assume this won't come off a Steel cent...

Peaceman

Looks like water spots on a silver dollar....

savoyspecial

Steel wool will take it right off


Nah, it's toast

lasvegasteddy

never had a steelie to know or pass advice on if it is possible

Tdec1000

It is the beginning of corrosion.

LanceNewmanOCC

.
i've never messed with conserving steelies, but i get the impression they have one of the most fragile coin surfaces

and when disturbed pretty much ruins em
.

LindeDad

Well when I was a kid it would buy a jawbreaker now it won't buy anything.

JRocco

I believe those are moisture spots that have begun the process of returning the coin to the earth.

drwstr123

Looks like zinc-oxide.

Coinosaurus

<< <i>
i've never messed with conserving steelies, but i get the impression they have one of the most fragile coin surfaces
>>



That's funny, you'd think steel would be real durable.

Gold is softest but seems to "conserve" incredibly well in some cases.

I guess it's more about susceptibility to corrosion, not how hard it is.

savoyspecial

>>That's funny, you'd think steel would be real durable.>>


oh, the steel is fine.....what you are seeing is happening to the zinc

messydesk

The zinc is corroding. Also has rust by the top right of the 9. Not salvageable.

Were I to buy a steel cent, I'd make sure it was spot-free and in a holder at least 10 years old (i.e., stable).

WoodenJefferson

~aaaaaaaaachoo~

LanceNewmanOCC

<< <i>>>That's funny, you'd think steel would be real durable.>>
oh, the steel is fine.....what you are seeing is happening to the zinc >>


sounds right to me
.

cladking

I've never tried it but I'd expect olive oil to mitigate it and, perhaps, significantly.

Getting the olive oil off might be pretty tough though.

Spooly

PCGS just downgraded my 1943-D MS-67 that has the same problem. I got $120 plus the coin (raw) will be returned. It looked like Lincoln sneezed.

notwilight

Zinc Oxide. white is to zinc as green is to copper. ever notice what color an old galvanized washtub or bucket turns (before it rusts through). --Jerry

tahoe98

<< <i>Looks like zinc-oxide. >>



...ditto

ricko

Yep... that is likely not conservable.... you could try an acetone rinse... but unlikely to help. Best effort may be to send it to NCS... but I doubt it will help. Cheers, RickO

rmpsrpms

I don't buy steel cent rolls for this reason. I've had several near-perfect steel cents that would have graded 67 or 68 except for the ugly ZnO corrosion spots. It used to be that these would be replated to make them look better and be more durable. The mint did the Zinc plating on the planchets before striking, so during the strike the metal movement often exposed bare steel, which eventually rusted after the small amount of Zn around it was consumed. If the coins had been plated after striking they would have been much more durable but for some reason (maybe some arcane law limiting what can happen to coins after striking) they chose to plate before the strike. It was probably easier to deal with that way, after all we were at war and few folks were thinking about how well these things would be preserved for future collectors to enjoy.

joeykoins

Ala' Silver Eagles, ( milk spots ) dem'darn spots!