First experiments with Coin Care
jonathanb
Posts: 3,813 ✭✭✭✭✭
I purchased a bunch of medals that have PVC issues, and I need to do something about them. I've used acetone in the past with mixed success (more on that in a moment) and I've heard good things about Blue Ribbon and Coin Care. I couldn't find any Blue Ribbon, so I picked up some Coin Care to see what I thought about it.
I purchased some junk large cents recently, which was a mistake for various reasons not important right now. One of them was a 1851 with decent detail underneath a bunch of crud. It looked like the crud was on the surface rather than eating into it, so I was hoping it might come off. This seemed like a good first experiment because the coin was basically cull due to the crud if I left it alone, and I didn't care if I messed it up. Also, it was a circulated piece, so I had no worries about taking a q-tip and really scrubbing.
I didn't think to take "before" pictures, so I stopped halfway through on each side. The results seem good -- or at the very least a huge improvement. Most of the crud is gone now. There's still some left around the devices, and maybe I'll try scrubbing a little harder. Or maybe not. Once I finish the other half, I think I'll have a totally reasonable VF-ish piece.
So having worked on the large cent, I agreed that this Coin Care stuff might have something to say for itself, and I moved on to a piece that I cared a little more about. I purchased this medal a couple of years ago, and it was just covered with PVC. Using acetone, I made lots of q-tips turn green, but even after the q-tips stopped turning color I wasn't happy with the results. There was still a lot of crud left on the medal, especially around the devices, and it simply wasn't coming off with acetone alone. I tried halfheartedly to sell it, then put it in the back of the box where I wouldn't have to look at it. So this was another good experiment -- the medal wasn't worthless to start with, but it was ugly enough that I really didn't think I'd make matters much worse.
The results again are pretty good. The Coin Care took off most of the crud around the devices. There's still some discoloration where the crud used to be, but that doesn't surprise me, and I don't imagine I can do anything about it now. The crud was there for a long time. The only negative is that I did introduce some new hairlines on the medal while I was scrubbing harder than I should have. I need to work on my technique, clearly, before moving on to things that I really care about.
Anyone have any good tips for using Coin Care?
jonathan
I purchased some junk large cents recently, which was a mistake for various reasons not important right now. One of them was a 1851 with decent detail underneath a bunch of crud. It looked like the crud was on the surface rather than eating into it, so I was hoping it might come off. This seemed like a good first experiment because the coin was basically cull due to the crud if I left it alone, and I didn't care if I messed it up. Also, it was a circulated piece, so I had no worries about taking a q-tip and really scrubbing.
I didn't think to take "before" pictures, so I stopped halfway through on each side. The results seem good -- or at the very least a huge improvement. Most of the crud is gone now. There's still some left around the devices, and maybe I'll try scrubbing a little harder. Or maybe not. Once I finish the other half, I think I'll have a totally reasonable VF-ish piece.
So having worked on the large cent, I agreed that this Coin Care stuff might have something to say for itself, and I moved on to a piece that I cared a little more about. I purchased this medal a couple of years ago, and it was just covered with PVC. Using acetone, I made lots of q-tips turn green, but even after the q-tips stopped turning color I wasn't happy with the results. There was still a lot of crud left on the medal, especially around the devices, and it simply wasn't coming off with acetone alone. I tried halfheartedly to sell it, then put it in the back of the box where I wouldn't have to look at it. So this was another good experiment -- the medal wasn't worthless to start with, but it was ugly enough that I really didn't think I'd make matters much worse.
The results again are pretty good. The Coin Care took off most of the crud around the devices. There's still some discoloration where the crud used to be, but that doesn't surprise me, and I don't imagine I can do anything about it now. The crud was there for a long time. The only negative is that I did introduce some new hairlines on the medal while I was scrubbing harder than I should have. I need to work on my technique, clearly, before moving on to things that I really care about.
Anyone have any good tips for using Coin Care?
jonathan
0
Comments
the halo effect is a right word for it. so common on older coins.
That's why acetone is great to use; it only removes the PVC.
the halo effect is a right word for it. so common on older coins. >>>
that's where a camel or horse hair brush is better recommended then a q-tip
they're soft enough not to damage and can get into the nooks n crannies as well as around devices
properly done noting "gentle with pressure" and "brush while wet" turns nice results