1854 Seated Half

[Brian Hagler]

So it’s another Saturday and that means estate buys. I picked this up today and as you can see on the back, there was masking tape with the date on it...probably been there a long time.

So my question this week is this: Do I leave it the way it is?
Do I try and clean it?

If this was your coin what would you do; I’m not selling it, it’s for keeps.

[Earle42]

Do not rub/scrub since scratches will result and ruin value.

Try the below in the following order:
1. Soap and water - do not rub/scrub.
Rinse well. PAT dry with cotton cloth (old T-shirt)
No results?

2. Acetone soak - maybe 10-30 seconds.
No reason to rinse it totally evaporates
No results?

3. Xylene soak - - maybe 10-30 seconds.
Rinse well. PAT dry with cotton cloth (old T-shirt)
No results?

All of the above do not alter the coin's metal in any way. Thus are safe to use as they just remove gunk.

Whith experience - such as Daniel -
E-Z-Est and MS70 are used to remove spots/dullness on coins with luster. Since yours is heavily circulated, I suspect these chemicals will make yours look bland, lifeless, and obviously cleaned. Let someone who has used it on circulated coins like yours chime in.

[Brian Hagler]

Well the acetone took the glue from the tape off on the reverse.....

Note to self, don’t pour the acetone next to your IPad keyboard (plastic)..it eats the plastic.
Luckily the 6 keys that got splashed still work.

[SensibleSal66]

There iare other things on the market you can try . One is called MS70 . check it out :

[Daniel]

I would not buy coins like this. The condition of the coin could hide the fact it isn't authentic.

[Earle42]

Don't pour...soak it.
Use an old glass of glass jar (might eat the plastic you choose to use). Then keep using the list above.

Also, before the topic comes up, acetone is not toxic.

Even if you (could stand to) drink the entire bottle (for some weird reason) the Dr.s only keep you in the hospital until your body naturally passes it. At room temp the acetone will COMPLETELY evaporate off of any glass container and the coin.

[Coin Mule]

Don't pour...soak it.
Use an old glass of glass jar (might eat the plastic you choose to use). Then keep using the list above.

Also, before the topic comes up, acetone is not toxic.

Even if you (could stand to) drink the entire bottle (for some weird reason) the Dr.s only keep you in the hospital until your body naturally passes it. At room temp the acetone will COMPLETELY evaporate off of any glass container and the coin.

Oh great E, now you are going to have a bunch of people drinking Acetone then lighting up a big Doobie, and the woooosh gone in 60 seconds, oh wait, Darwin meet acetone drinker, hmmmmmm, never mind, nothing to see here

[Coin Mule]

So it’s another Saturday and that means estate buys. I picked this up today and as you can see on the back, there was masking tape with the date on it...probably been there a long time.

So my question this week is this: Do I leave it the way it is?
Do I try and clean it?

If this was your coin what would you do; I’m not selling it, it’s for keeps.

Hey B, wow cleaning that is a tall order, almost anything you use to remove the corrosion etc will eat away at the surface, and may not leave you much of a coin left. Hope it works out for you.

[Earle42]

Oh great E, now you are going to have a bunch of people drinking Acetone then lighting up a big Doobie, and the woooosh gone in 60 seconds, oh wait, Darwin meet acetone drinker, hmmmmmm, never mind, nothing to see here

I tried to head off the acetone toxicity debate that has occurred on other websites when I post about using acetone.

Then comes the question, "Why is my acetone labeled pure when it says it contains Denatonium Benzoate in it...will this hurt my coins?"
No.
The chemical is a bitterant, and is the most bitter chemical known to man. It only takes 10 parts per million (!) to be so bitter most people cannot handle it. But that little incredibly tiny amount leaves no residue on the coin since its practically non-existent.
Think of it. Take one drop and divide that drop into 1 million literally microscopic portions (something we cannot come close to imagining). Ten of those microscopic portions would be the bitterent.
The amount added is so little that chemically analysis would call the acetone 100% pure. A truly 100% pure chemical is not a technical reality even in lab work.

[Brian Hagler]

I appreciate all the help.
I need to order some of the MS-70....I'll post pics when I'm done.