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Colors on early copper, is green possible?

BIGAL2749BIGAL2749 Posts: 742 ✭✭✭✭

These are coins I have owned for 30+ years and have recently sent them in for grading.
I knew they were au but I loved the colors especially the green1832 but our host labeled the green as unc/ questionable color and the reddish 1833 as AU details cleaned.

Copper is obviously not my thing and knew the colors were different (much more vivid, especially the reverse) on the 1832 but with the degree of luster (image captures none of it) took them as real.
Whenever I looked at the 1833 I always questioned the originality but could talk myself into believing is had not been cleaned and retoned.

Not only can ownership add a grade but encourages the owner to accept something that isn't so.

Comments

  • Walkerguy21DWalkerguy21D Posts: 11,114 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 28, 2017 2:07PM

    Yes, green is possible, and can be highly desirable
    The old timers called them 'greenies'.
    I think there is a forum member Joe Greencooper.
    The shade of green on your half cent is a bit unusual and perhaps suspicious.
    The 1833 looks quite nice to me

    I have over 125 large cents, many in better grades, and of those only a few have traces of green, generally a light 'frost'. This is probably my best example:

    photo MBP7K0721701024x678_zpsdef93456.jpg

    photo MBP7K0721771024x6783_zps45cfd5d5.jpg

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  • stevebensteveben Posts: 4,595 ✭✭✭✭✭

    i know very little about copper...but enough to know i like the 1833 a lot.

  • Insider2Insider2 Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The green on the obverse of the 1832 is nice. Some on the reverse (12:30) is active corrosion.

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,427 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Green makes me nervous on old copper. I much prefer brown.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • oih82w8oih82w8 Posts: 11,867 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The statue of liberty has not always been green...it has a layer of copper over an iron frame...if I read that correctly.

    oih82w8 = Oh I Hate To Wait _defectus patientia_aka...Dr. Defecto - Curator of RMO's

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  • CoinRaritiesOnlineCoinRaritiesOnline Posts: 3,638 ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 28, 2017 3:08PM

    Green in and of itself can be natural, but IMO the color on that first coin is unusual in intensity and distribution.

  • messydeskmessydesk Posts: 19,640 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 28, 2017 3:27PM

    This one I photographed recently is graded. Edit: There is a TrueView of it that shows a rather vibrant color map, but it was not possible to see, much less photograph, those colors through the slab.

  • 1Mike11Mike1 Posts: 4,414 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The 32 looks like the starts of environmental damage. The 33 looks like it has scratches on it and maybe the graders took that as an old cleaning.

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  • BIGAL2749BIGAL2749 Posts: 742 ✭✭✭✭

    A couple of great looking large cents and knowing the limitations of getting true colors on images much be knockouts

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The '32 appears to have active corrosion of some sort at 1 o'clock and perhaps more at 12:30.... I really do not see obvious signs of cleaning on the '33.... Cheers, RickO

  • BIGAL2749BIGAL2749 Posts: 742 ✭✭✭✭

    The corrosion on the 32 (also center reverse) I felt was responsible for the strange colors.

    Never wanted to touch it as it hasn't changed in the last 30 years visionally although it must be active microscopically.

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,427 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Now that I have able to see the 1832 half cent on my desktop, I don't think that the green color on that coin is a good thing.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • DancingFireDancingFire Posts: 311 ✭✭✭
    edited May 30, 2017 9:28PM

    Yes, possible.


  • raysrays Posts: 2,327 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Greenies can be beautiful in their own right,

  • BillJonesBillJones Posts: 33,427 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rays said:
    Greenies can be beautiful in their own right,

    As long as it's stable. The green on the 1832 half cent does not look stable.

    Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
  • BIGAL2749BIGAL2749 Posts: 742 ✭✭✭✭

    Would a product such as Care stop the corrosion?

    Any other product suggestions

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