Author Topic: big time money in your pocket  (Read 4385 times)

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Offline vesta111

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big time money in your pocket
« on: July 08, 2011, 09:31:40 AM »
Following interesting links I found a site that tells us what the value, true value is in our pockets for change, or those old jars or buckets we have thrown extra change into.

We have a few about the house, stuff we have just dumped out change into for 20 years.

Money is so filthy and nasty, I need to clean this crap and have to figure out how to clean the coins with out little or none damage to the blackened coins.

My question to coin collectors out there, ---what is the best way to clean a jug on change  that is 20+ years old to not damage the coins???

I inherited a dime hanging watch fob that was from the 1800, the back side of the dimes had been filed off and the children's names and birth dates in graved on the dimes. 

The watch fob was large and not in any way blackend or nasty as to days coins are.

How to clean old coins and any tips appreciated.


Offline franksolich

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Re: big time money in your pocket
« Reply #1 on: July 08, 2011, 09:43:52 AM »
Generally it's not a good idea to clean coins.

<<long-time coin collector here.

Water to remove ordinary dirt doesn't hurt, but anything stronger than water, no.

If a coin's excessively worn or damaged in some way, it's "okay" to mess with it, using stuff stronger than water, because an excessively worn or damaged coin isn't worth much anyway.

A hint for those with Indian Head (or Buffalo) five-cent pieces made 1913-1937, where the date's worn off.

The dates on Indian Head nickels were struck in high relief, and thus wore away quickly; I'm sure just about everybody's seen one of those dateless five-cent pieces.

Put a little less than a drop of nitric acid where the date used to be, and the coin corrodes in such a manner that the date reappears.  And then of course use water to wash away the acid, once the date's clear.

This will not work on silver coins; don't even try it.  It will however work on nickel coins (actually, mostly copper with some nickel in it).
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Offline vesta111

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Re: big time money in your pocket
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2011, 06:58:45 AM »
Generally it's not a good idea to clean coins.

<<long-time coin collector here.

Water to remove ordinary dirt doesn't hurt, but anything stronger than water, no.

If a coin's excessively worn or damaged in some way, it's "okay" to mess with it, using stuff stronger than water, because an excessively worn or damaged coin isn't worth much anyway.

A hint for those with Indian Head (or Buffalo) five-cent pieces made 1913-1937, where the date's worn off.

The dates on Indian Head nickels were struck in high relief, and thus wore away quickly; I'm sure just about everybody's seen one of those dateless five-cent pieces.

Put a little less than a drop of nitric acid where the date used to be, and the coin corrodes in such a manner that the date reappears.  And then of course use water to wash away the acid, once the date's clear.

This will not work on silver coins; don't even try it.  It will however work on nickel coins (actually, mostly copper with some nickel in it).

Yikes, I have been using borax and dish soap to soak the Penny's, so far 5 wheat Penny's all dated 1941, should be pure copper as it was a year or so before the War caused a change in the copper content. I tried a magnent and the coin didn't respond

Mom is bringing over a box of change that her father collected as a teenager, 1915 or so.

I think I need a kids microscope as none of our hand held magnifiers are strong enough for my eyesight or hubby's,

.I wonder what the jail time would be for me to beat up the designer of the $1.00 coins that are the size of quarters, how much money we all have lost due to using them as quarters in vending machines and as change buying for a small item, or throwing into the bell ringers kettles at Xmas.

Surprising the amount of foreign coins the size of quarters get into the market place, so far Indonesia, Canada, and one coin so black I have it soaking in olive oil.

Thanks for your information Frank,  have you got any good finds?????
 

Offline franksolich

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Re: big time money in your pocket
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2011, 05:07:05 PM »
Thanks for your information Frank,  have you got any good finds?????

Last Wednesday, 1927 Indian Head (Buffalo) five-cent piece, in sort of "fine" condition, probably rated as only "very good," though.
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Offline catsmtrods

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Re: big time money in your pocket
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2011, 05:12:51 PM »
Really, I have rolls of wheat pennies. I didn't think they were worth shit? On the other hand I have a 55 gal drum full of copper plumbing from work that brings me $400-$500 every time I cash it in!
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Offline franksolich

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Re: big time money in your pocket
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2011, 05:19:32 PM »
Really, I have rolls of wheat pennies. I didn't think they were worth shit? On the other hand I have a 55 gal drum full of copper plumbing from work that brings me $400-$500 every time I cash it in!

It's variable, the wheat (1909-1958) one-cent pieces.

At the least, they'd be worth copper salvage value, but probably there's some in there worth something more than that.  It depends upon how much time and energy one wants to put into looking at them.
« Last Edit: July 17, 2011, 09:21:37 PM by franksolich »
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Offline Boudicca

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Re: big time money in your pocket
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2011, 09:11:02 PM »
My husband's a fairly serious coin collector so I asked him, vesta.  He said if the coin is simply tarnished, DO NOT attempt to clean it as it will detract from the value.  If, however, there is serious encrustation on the coin that needs to be removed, ultrasound is the best method.  A good coin dealer will, from what he told me, have an ultrasound machine to accomplish this.
I do know that my local Samuels jewelers cleans my rings with an ultrasound machine. 
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