How do you restore dates on Buffalo nickels?
Robb
Posts: 2,034 ✭
I have some beat to hell Buffs and have heard about dates being restored to a degree but I have no idea how it's done. A quick search of the forums didn't yield anything. Any links or how-to's out there?
RIP 0
Comments
<< <i>iron chloride or buy Nic-A-Date. >>
Is that the same as ferric chloride ?
Where do i buy it?
Can you use circuit board etchant from Radio Shack?
Where do i buy it? No idea try a google search.
Can you use circuit board etchant from Radio Shack? no idea.
Ray
............uh what the hey! just put your OWN date on........
Out of 40, I was able to positively ID about 30, and found about a dozen or so we needed between the 3 of us. A few questionables are left, and a few so far gone that I don't think anything will work.
But while searching for info, I was led to a site with the following info on how/why Nic-A-Date works................
"Due to the fact that the dates on Buffalo Nickels were too high and not protected from wear by other features on the coin, such as a raised rim, they frequently wore completely away! The metal where the numerals WERE on the coin, however, is of a higher density (due to the stamping process) than the surrounding metal (known as the "field"). Brushing a small amount of ferric-chloride over the area where the date was will often "restore" the date. This happens because although this "acid" mixture begins to erode the metal, the area where the numerals were erodes much slower than the surrounding field, so the numerals "rise up", so to speak, out of the field. (The process is stopped by simply washing the acid off with water) The date that shows is the true and legitimate date the coin was minted with. Restored date coins are NOT fakes! The only real problem with restored date coins is that the area surrounding the date no longer looks totally natural. The area will appear to be a dull but very clean gray, almost as if the area by the date was cleaned with an abrasive cleanser. It is for this reason that restored date coins do not command the value of "natural" date coins. If you're looking for an inexpensive way to fill holes in your set however, you really can't beat these restored date coins. (A “restored COIN” is the same thing but on a larger scale, with more or all of the surfaces being restored.)
Two other questions that people frequently ask: 1.) Can dates on all worn out coins be restored and 2.) what happens if you leave the acid on too long? - I don't know of any way to restore dates on silver or copper coins. Maybe there is a way, but I haven't heard of it. Not even all worn out Buffaloes can be restored. My "recovery rate" is about 75%. All nickels minted from the 1800's to present have been composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, and the acid ONLY works on the nickel portion of the coin. Leaving the acid on the coin too long will not cause it to eat a hole through the coin!! In fact, the amount of material that the acid erodes away is almost negligible. Acid left on too long results in a coppery or dark looking spot...and a much harder to read date!!"
Hope this helps and makes for interesting reading!
- - Dave
NSDR - Life Member
SSDC - Life Member
ANA - Pay As I Go Member
<< <i>I recently posted about wanting to buy "dateless" Buffalo's for my kids to use "Nic-A-Date" on, and was lucky enough to get a roll at a reasonable rate from a fellow Forum member.
Out of 40, I was able to positively ID about 30, and found about a dozen or so we needed between the 3 of us. A few questionables are left, and a few so far gone that I don't think anything will work.
But while searching for info, I was led to a site with the following info on how/why Nic-A-Date works................
"Due to the fact that the dates on Buffalo Nickels were too high and not protected from wear by other features on the coin, such as a raised rim, they frequently wore completely away! The metal where the numerals WERE on the coin, however, is of a higher density (due to the stamping process) than the surrounding metal (known as the "field"). Brushing a small amount of ferric-chloride over the area where the date was will often "restore" the date. This happens because although this "acid" mixture begins to erode the metal, the area where the numerals were erodes much slower than the surrounding field, so the numerals "rise up", so to speak, out of the field. (The process is stopped by simply washing the acid off with water) The date that shows is the true and legitimate date the coin was minted with. Restored date coins are NOT fakes! The only real problem with restored date coins is that the area surrounding the date no longer looks totally natural. The area will appear to be a dull but very clean gray, almost as if the area by the date was cleaned with an abrasive cleanser. It is for this reason that restored date coins do not command the value of "natural" date coins. If you're looking for an inexpensive way to fill holes in your set however, you really can't beat these restored date coins. (A “restored COIN” is the same thing but on a larger scale, with more or all of the surfaces being restored.)
Two other questions that people frequently ask: 1.) Can dates on all worn out coins be restored and 2.) what happens if you leave the acid on too long? - I don't know of any way to restore dates on silver or copper coins. Maybe there is a way, but I haven't heard of it. Not even all worn out Buffaloes can be restored. My "recovery rate" is about 75%. All nickels minted from the 1800's to present have been composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, and the acid ONLY works on the nickel portion of the coin. Leaving the acid on the coin too long will not cause it to eat a hole through the coin!! In fact, the amount of material that the acid erodes away is almost negligible. Acid left on too long results in a coppery or dark looking spot...and a much harder to read date!!"
Hope this helps and makes for interesting reading!
- - Dave
i always wondered how they restored filed serial numbers...