does nic a date work on silver

holeinone1972 · September 18, 2007 12:22PM

I have several standing liberty quarters, and walking liberty halves, that I would love to be able to determine the date.

Can these be acid treated like the buffalo nickels?

Rob

mrpotatoheadd · September 18, 2007 12:27PM

<< <i>does nic a date work on silver >>

I've never tried myself, but I have heard that Nic-a-Date doesn't work on silver.

dcamp78 · September 18, 2007 1:34PM

I would not suggest using this stuff on any coins.
I took a nickel to my coin dealer and had him clean it for me with the NicADate.
He scratched the living crap out of the coin and it turned pink. (but the date was visible)

JMO,

PrivateCoinCollector · September 18, 2007 1:47PM

I have a couple of Standing Liberty quarters that are better dates, but were so worn someone put some kind of acid to pull up the dates. So I can read the date right through the huge acid burn. Yikes!

cladking · September 18, 2007 2:03PM

I've seen it work but it seems to be a fluke when it does.

StampAlarm · September 18, 2007 2:15PM

I had a 1895-O $ I won from a board members mailbid that was acid date. I sent it to SEGS and it came back a AG03 labeled Acid Date. It was ugly. I sent it to another dealer in NC for show and tell at his local club.

StampAlarm · September 18, 2007 2:15PM

<< <i>I would not suggest using this stuff on any coins.
I took a nickel to my coin dealer and had him clean it for me with the NicADate.
He scratched the living crap out of the coin and it turned pink. (but the date was visible)

JMO, >>

NAD toning I guess.

jmj3esq · September 18, 2007 10:58PM

I tried it ona standing lib quarter. It ruined it. It left a big black spot where the nic-a-date was applied. DO NOT USE ON SILVER!!!!

Edited to add: I forgot to add that the chemical did nothing to the date. I was left with a dateless coin with a big black spot where the date should be.

holeinone1972 · September 18, 2007 10:59PM

So I am left with no date junk silver in the end.

No good way to determine the dates.

I know for a fact that the standing liberties are not 1916 because there are stars under the eagle, but I would still like to know.

Bummer

fastrudy · September 19, 2007 3:18AM

They used to make a product that was effective on 90% silver coins. I have used it on SLQ's and Merc dimes. I know everybody calls it nic-o-date, but I distinctly remember it as Coin Date (for nickels) and Coin Date for silver. They were nasty acids and they ruined the coins that I tried them on. They silver one would leave a black mark on the coin, but they would allow the date to be read. I think it was nitric acid, although I am not sure. I do remember the last time I used it was on about two rolls of dateless SLQ's. I wasn't careful about the acid and the next day........my hands turned PURPLE/BLACK. Could not wash or bleach my hands back to their original color. In two weeks, they turned back to pink after the old stained cells died and were replaced by healthy ones. I couldn't work that day because my hands were discolored. Last time I used it, about 1966.

Steve27 · September 19, 2007 3:24AM

" So I am left with no date junk silver in the end.

No good way to determine the dates."

Well, you can tell the 17-D/S. Here's a 17-S

lkrarecoins · September 19, 2007 3:45AM

Nope, it only works on Nickel...and does a pretty crappy job

I just like using it because I just HAVE to know what date a Buffalo is....Its like a an acid-treated Treasure hunt!!!

cladking · September 19, 2007 4:49AM

<< <i>They used to make a product that was effective on 90% silver coins. I have used it on SLQ's and Merc dimes. I know everybody calls it nic-o-date, but I distinctly remember it as Coin Date (for nickels) and Coin Date for silver. They were nasty acids and they ruined the coins that I tried them on. They silver one would leave a black mark on the coin, but they would allow the date to be read. I think it was nitric acid, although I am not sure. I do remember the last time I used it was on about two rolls of dateless SLQ's. I wasn't careful about the acid and the next day........my hands turned PURPLE/BLACK. Could not wash or bleach my hands back to their original color. In two weeks, they turned back to pink after the old stained cells died and were replaced by healthy ones. I couldn't work that day because my hands were discolored. Last time I used it, about 1966. >>

This sounds like a weak silver nitrate solution. If you got it from the coin it might have just
been nitric acid in the formula. Nitric would dissolve silver and form silver nitrate which is the
basis of photographic film.

SmallSizedGuy · September 19, 2007 4:59AM

Nic-a-date for nickels is a ferric chloride solution. Nic-a-date for silver was a nitric acid solution. The nitric acid does react with the silver in the coin to form silver nitrate. Silver nitrate will react with your skin staining it purple-black.

holeinone1972 · September 19, 2007 5:07AM

So can you still get nitric acid?

If so where?

Rob

does nic a date work on silver

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