1793 Flowing Hair & Wreath Large Cent ~ Cleaning Pics

[cti4sw]

Hey, I decided to start a new thread for cleaning & grading advice from anyone with experience. The original finds thread can be seen here: http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/379809-honey-hole-comes-through-again.html

So, this is the coin in the plug:



This is after I brushed it off:



This is after a cold peroxide bath:



And this is after hogge's recommended heated peroxide bath:




Don in SJ has suggested I leave the coin as-is, with no further cleaning, and not to get it graded. My next step will be to visit the local coin shop for one of those little AirTite cases to protect it.


Anyone with any further suggestions, or encouragement (that it looks good and I'm doing it right), feel free to post. I am currently looking for condition range estimates, as I believe it to be better than VG.

For those who asked: here is a pic of the coin's surface, right off the lips and chin.



Here she is, she fits snugly into a 26mm AirTite. Can't wait to get the beeswax to finish this off and see how it looks.

 

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[ModernMiner]

Man, that came out great. Beauty!
-MM-

 

[TNGUNS]

That is an incredible coin......... I know you crack a smile every time you look at her.

 

[screwynewy]

Looks like the hot peroxide helped. The tricky thing about cleaning old coppers is that it is hard to tell if the caked on crud is just stuck to the surface or it has actually penetrated the material and pitted it. I have had some amazing results cleaning dug coppers while other times I have lost most of what detail was there to start with. To me it looks like yours would benefit from multiple hot peroxide soaks with a light toothbrush in between. It appears that the crud is just stuck to the surface and if cleaned properly your coin could reveal some amazing detail. Then there is that risk of ruining it too. So basically I'm no help to you than to say congrats on an amazing find.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Sorry--didn't see your other thread...I make it a point to never read a post with the word "honey hole" in it--worse term to me than even "nectar!"

Anyway, great coin you got there! Had to tell from your pics whether more peroxide will help or not. You need to see if there's any more dirt on the surface with a jeweler's loupe....your photo's are not clear eneough to tell from here. The surface still looks kind of rough to me, but I'm not sure if that's dirt or just the coin. On my CT copper I dipped it in warm peroxide (I would not use boiling peroxide) and then gently used a Q-tip to remove the loose dirt. You could also try gently with the side of a tooth pick. When you're done you're going to need to seal the coin with something like pure bees wax or a few coats of Verdi-Care. The peroxide really dries out old copper and did you notice that it also darkens it? I like the darker color, but it may be harder to see some of the details. I think commercially it will certainly grade "environmentally damaged" and I don't know how that coin would grade on the Red Book scale though -- IP would be able to tell you. But there is still some nice detail and congrats again on a fine coin! Looking forward to more pics as you progress...

 

[cti4sw]

Is beeswax something I can get at WalMart?

 

[ironhorse]

that's an amazing coin, pretty good details considering how long it probably spent in the ground

that's one to be proud of!

 

[Erik in NJ]

I doubt it and don't use bees wax from Home Depot with any chemicals added (the kind used on furniture)...there are plenty of places you can buy it on the web though. Just Google "pure bees wax" for sources.

 

[Iron Patch]

Great find. Pretty easy to agree the detail is VG or better.... thinking better. But also remember the surface being so rough from being dug is most likely going to drop the value in the G range unless there's a strong demand.

 

[cti4sw]

Added a pic of the coin surface; taken with a Leica EZ4HD microscope.

 

[docbars]

She is a nice one for sure.

 

[nsdq]

you can gt bees wax at a bow shop, or get online, sweet find looks good

 

[Erik in NJ]

"Honey Hole" has the same effect on me: Sounds like a term some dork coined back in the 70s. "Nectar" just reminds me of those two clowns on TV. Funny that they are both bee related terms

I dont mind the honey hole, but every time I hear/see "nectar" I throw up in my mouth so much it comes out of my nose. I just HATE that word, it is so so so... stupid. Its like, what are you? A freaking honey bee? That is all I can picture, a dude in a honeybee costume metal detecting, beyond tarted.

 

[cti4sw]

I dont mind the honey hole, but every time I hear/see "nectar" I throw up in my mouth so much it comes out of my nose. I just HATE that word, it is so so so... stupid. Its like, what are you? A freaking honey bee? That is all I can picture, a dude in a honeybee costume metal detecting, beyond tarted.

Yeah I think their lingo is idiotic myself. "Nectar sector", "juice", and "BOOM BABY!" grate my MDing soul every time I hear them. Scott made a reference to our "honey hole" one time, so that's why I use it. They have to appeal to an audience of ignorance; you'll definitely know who the role models were if you hunt with someone who says that crap.

 

[Erik in NJ]

That Leica EZ4HD sure takes a fantasically clear close-up picture! Wish I could afford one....nice job! BTW, if you can't find any bees wax, drop me a line and I'll mail you a bit--I bought like two pounds of purified bees wax on-line last year and it's way more than I can ever use.

Added a pic of the coin surface; taken with a Leica EZ4HD microscope.

 

[CASPER-2]

 

[cti4sw]

That Leica EZ4HD sure takes a fantasically clear close-up picture! Wish I could afford one....nice job! BTW, if you can't find any bees wax, drop me a line and I'll mail you a bit--I bought like two pounds of purified bees wax on-line last year and it's way more than I can ever use.

Yeah, my boss got it for our lab this spring, for a $3000 price tag. Didn't we establish already that you live like 30-45 mins from me? I could come pick some up, and you could see this coin in person. PM me.

 

[LaGold]

Wow that is really awesome. Nice find. Mine is coming just haven't found it yet. Keep pounding that field and more will come. Silver is there just gotta find it.

signals diggem all... LaGold

 

[sandy shoes]

try cooking the coin in olive oil i learned that trick from a Russian friend of mine he says all old coins in Russia are copper i tried it it did work

 

[jewelerguy]

myself, I'd be tempted to clean it some more, but of course would probably take it too far. large cents don't exist where I live, so I really have no clue at all. About all I can offer is 'don't use a wire brush'