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Red 1909vdb Lincoln and 1908 Indian pennies in plastic
Ppp
Posts: 607 ✭✭✭✭✭
I could use some help. I have a red 1909vdb Lincoln penny and red 1908 Indian head penny both incased separately in a clear plastic.
Is it worth the trouble to try and get these coins out of the plastic?
If yes, should I get them graded if I can get them out without damaging them?
I apologize for the poor picture quality. 
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Niether has the "S" mintmark: No.
Both look to have been cleaned based on the photos.
Likely not worth the effort to remove them... Probably cleaned prior to encapsulation, and will require further cleaning of some type once removed. Not high value coins, so enjoy them 'as is'... Cheers, RickO
I'd just leave them like they are.
Not knowing exactly what they are stored in, I wonder if acetone would remove any residue safely the way it can remove PVC. If so, and I know I'm in the minority here, I would liberate them from their current packaging. I like my raw coins raw so I can actually handle them (typically with gloves but still, there's something about actually touching the coin). The current packaging to me would be unattractive, and if an acetone bath post-liberation would clean them up then I'd be good for it. They're common dates, the fact that they were likely cleaned before encapsulation means that as far as resell it would be extremely modest, so I'd feel comfortable maximizing my enjoyment.
That said, you're not me. If you are able to enjoy them in their current packaging, then leave them there. If you do remove them, there is the risk that there is adhesive or plastic or something that acetone won't get off, and I personally have never used anything harsher on a coin. So the coins might end up looking like something you'd rather spend than keep, which would be a bummer.
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Thank you for your comments and advice.
I will leave them them the way they are.
You would have to use a solvent that melts the plastic in order to get to the coin. Then, you would likely have some sort of plastic residue on the coin after this process. Also, it could just be lighting, but those particular coins may have been dipped before being encased in their plastic tombs. Since they're common date coins... it's really not worth the effort to pursue. In fact, I'd sort of like them as paperweights on my coin collecting desk...
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Yes, much better to leave as is... not worth time or effort to remove.
Somewhere along the line I ended up with a Kennedy half dollar in a cube of plastic. I don't think there is anyway to get it out without destroying it! And whatever would "melt" that plastic has to be dangerous to work with... at least that's my guess.
I think what they are encased in might be resin, which would be more like epoxy than plastic. If so, solvents won't really work. The only way to remove the coins would be to break the encasing material.
If you could get them extremely cold (using liquid nitrogen, for example) and then hit them near the coin edge with a hammer, that might crack it open.
Many of the ones I have seen contain coins that have been whizzed or plated. Not worth the trouble to extract.