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How can I fix this 1803 Large Cent
Obone
Posts: 139 ✭✭✭
Hi Everyone,
I found this 1803 large cent in my collection. It has around XF Details, just corroded. The reverse is actually somewhat decent, the obverse pretty much corroded with 1803 and Liberty barely discernible.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to clean? Or how to get back to the glossy surfaces on old copper coins that dealers sometimes have? I think that would make the coin look good too.
Thanks
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Comments
Don't clean it and corroded metal really doesn't get fixed.
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All you can do is make it worse.
You can't.
She's cooked.
Can't be fixed. Try to enjoy it as is.
Lance.
Get back glossy surfaces? Buff the crap out of it or take a Dremel to it. Both options will ruin it entirely. Once metal is corroded, it's corroded.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
There is no way to 'fix' that. Any attempt (e.g., smoothing using a blunt tool) will be readily discernable because a lot of metal would need to be moved around. Making the surfaces glossy (shiny) is not a fix either. This involves applying a thin coat of a nonaqueous solvent, which would help to reduce oxidation of the surfaces. The coin in the OP is too far gone, essentially a cull.
RMR: 'Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?'
CJ: 'No one!' [Ain't no angels in the coin biz]
Leaving it alone is probably the best you can do.
One more vote for the consensus - it is beyond help. That corrosion cannot be 'fixed'...except by such drastic measures that the coin would be totally destroyed. Cheers, RickO
Step away from the coin! Keep your hands where I can see them. Using that coin as a baseline, you can acquire a better coin, if you are so inclined. Peace Roy
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Since it's already ruined, I would carry it as a pocket piece. The natural wear will smooth out the crusty corroded surfaces. It will still be ruined but it may have a better looking appearance.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
A bit of nose grease would improve the look of it for awhile!
Find a better one
That coin is a ground find/ dug coin. Enjoy it as such.
Check out some of my 1794 Large Cents on www.coingallery.org
Leave it alone and enjoy it as it is 🙂
You can't make it any worse. It'll just be a "details" coin for a whole different reason.
It's not a matter of having something ON the coin. It is the COMPOSITION of the coin, which is corroded metal. There is nothing you can do except enjoy the design detail for what it is.