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Anyone know a way to safely remove a coin from Lucite?
amwldcoin
Posts: 11,269 ✭✭✭✭✭
I just purchased this Gemmy California Half entombed in Lucite. Talk about a way to preserve a coin! Debating weather to leave as is or free it if possible.
10
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You know lucite dissolves in acetone, right ?
A buddy of mine toss it on the floor it cracked then he pilled it off sent it in and it graded it was a nice Morgan. But I would put it in the freezer 1st then slap it on the floor it will crack then you can pill it off be safe.
Hoard the keys.
I get error coins, and other items,
embedded in lucite also -
I have a great guy who puts the
lucite in a vice, and then drills
into the plastic - he says that
usually splits the plastic apart
or in pieces, allowing the coin to
easily be removed.
In the past, I've used a hammer,
myself - carefully.
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
No.
set it on a chunk of dry ice for a while , or even liquid nitrogen, then quickly drop it into boiling water might work
Coin in the OP is very nice - they knew how to design a coin in those days.
Nice coin!!
It is a problem coin because of the lucite. Sell it as is for whatever you can get and don't look back.
IMO, the coin is best left alone. Let the buyer remove it. I'll bet the coin is not original.
Obviously, I disagree! The coin is not a "problem" coin - it is a novelty and well done at that. Once it is removed, it MAY BE a "problem" coin.
I do agree with this part of the post I quoted: Sell it as is!
Cool holder.... Why not just try to find the other 49 types entombed the same?
It would be a neat Air Hockey puck for someone living in California
I would crack it first, then several baths in acetone.....be sure all lucite is removed. A final bath of pure alcohol to remove any other traces of dissolved material from the acetone. Then judge your coin. Cheers, RickO
That is one hammered reverse!
If the plastic is contemporary with the coin, then it is not Lucite. Thermal stress, as mentioned above, might be the best way to remove the coin.
Yeah hammered twice might damage the reverse
I would think if it was contemporary it would have yellowed after 90 years!
It will be interesting to see how quickly it begins to tone after it's liberated. I'm predicting a dip will be subsequently called for and easily done.
I'd be very careful, but definitely remove it from that.
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I talked to someone that has tried acetone on Lucite....was a no go. I suspect that it would take quite some time if it would.
I'll put the next lucite encapsulated coin in acetone, just to see. It sure works fast on old credit cards and other plastics. Try a PCGS graded coin in acetone. Let me know how it works out. Could be the new way to crack out safely. Use in well ventilated areas. I really , though, like TD's simple answer. "NO".
I've removed almost a dozen coins over the years from clear plastics. Who knows if they were in Lucite or "Whatsite." Some (especially the 4" thick ones) took longer that others. It can be a mess!
If I has a band saw, it would have been much quicker to get the piece down to size before the soak.
place it in the freezer for a few hours and smack it with a hammer on a carpeted surface.
I'd leave it as is. Could it really be worth all the trouble?
Dead Cat Waltz Exonumia
"Coin collecting for outcasts..."
http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n29a13.html
I've heard many people say it was impossible, but I like the dry ice idea. If there's a place nearby that could hit it with liquid nitrogen, that would be better, but dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.
I've had good results with particle accelerators. You get those neutrons going fast enough and they have no trouble stripping lucite.......
As others have noted- acetone. It takes a few days. Also, the coins typicall look better in the lucite than out.
The Lucite usually does alter the surface quality so they rarely look right when removed.
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Please let us know whichever way you go
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
When I bought it I was and still am more inclined to leave it as is. The only logical reasons in my mind to remove it would be if I wanted to slab it or put it in an album. I'm sure someone will like it as it is as the coin can't be protected any better and the Lucite is pristine with no scratches!
It almost looks like the polished it before they sealed it up!
Definitely not polished! Larry Briggs said it was one of the nicer California's he had seen!
I own the 6th known 1913 5c piece - thanks for the tips!
Lucite (Polymethyl methacrylate) boiling point: 392 degrees F.
Silver boiling point: 3,924 degrees F.
Problem solved!
I have had luck with the following CC 20C Piece
The coin graded an appropriate AU55.
I found the solution to removing coin from lucite.......you just need to decipher it
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
PS...Looking at my notes above it may depend on the year of the coin, I'm not sure.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
I don't see the "Then a miracle occurs" in the middle of the page like I usually do...
Let me look, it may be on the back of the page
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
If you can get him to put it in one of those SEGS holders, it will be worth less than in the Lucite!
Since we're getting all scientific here, and if I was going to experiment with this quest, this is what I would try: In a well ventilated area, preferably outside, I'd take a can of Dust Off or other compressed gas used for blowing dirt off of computers. When turned upside down usually the gas comes out as a liquid that instantly freezes anything it hits. I'd give it a good dose then immediately smack it with a hammer. Of course safety comes first and I'd use gloves and eye protection.
I'd also make sure to take a video so I could post the failed results and injuries to YouTube for eveyone's enjoyment.
Great transactions with oih82w8, JasonGaming, Moose1913.
Looks like I'm going to have to find some cheap coins in lucite and perform some experiments and report on my scientific findings.
I thought those were calculation notes
on how to price an AG-3 Barber Half
dollar with a CAC sticker.
for PCGS. A 49+-Year PNG Member...A full numismatist since 1972, retired in 2022
Slow easy pressure with a vise will crack it, especially if the edges are ground down a bit with a grinder.
Clamp the holder in a vise by the corners, not the entire edge, so all the pressure is across one side.
LOL! It has no corners as it is round!
Dry ice for a few hours because the plastic looks thin. Now, inside a thick towel (e.g, terrycloth), whack with a hammer.
No?
Find someone with a band saw; child's play for a craftsman: the tolerances are easily calculable.
Scotch tape an M-80 to each side so that the tips of the fuses touch and can be lit simultaneously. Put your fingers in your ears and run!