FOUND THEM BOTH ON AN OLD PROPERTY FROM THE LATE 1800'S.I DONT DARE CLEAN THE PENNY THINKING I MIGHT DAMAGE IT.DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHAT THE GRADE IS ON THE PENNY.
THANKS
Very nice job on the Indian head penny! Did you have a heart attack like I almost did when digging it up? I'm sure its not your fist, but if it is congratulations! If I were to grade the Penny I would grade it Good to Very Good because it still has soil on it. Do not clean the penny either, since the date shows up really clear then thats all you need to see. Nice job on the IH and the Silver Barber dime!
If you don't clean the indian, and there is any kind of mineral in the dirt on the coin, it will continue to do it's work at degrading the coin. I found an 1877 Indian - the queen of the Indians.....and didn't clean it. Looked great, could i.d. it as an EF, with all very bold LIBERTY lettering. Now, it is a cull. Because I didn't clean it.
The mineral kept at it, and reduced it, put holes in it.
Now, I dont know how to clean it......ask in the Forum under cleaning tips......and get someones expert advice.
Perhaps not cleaning it is the best way.....in 10 years or so you will know the answer to that. If there was no mineral, then you will be okay. If there is mineral
in the dirt in the area you found your coin, then you will know that, too, by the residue from your coin that it has eaten into.
Don't mean to scare you....just educate. Perhaps the best bet would be to get a sample of the dirt where you dug the coin and take it in and have it analyzed.
ALWAYS "not cleaning it" isn't necessarily the best answer every time.
Great finds. Both coins in great shape.