Corroded Colonial?

[bobleyland]

Hunted an unpaved Connecticut farm road connecting two fields yesterday and got a 65 hit on my White's Blue & Gray (5900 DI Pro). Dug an apparently heavily corroded copper coin, 1 1/16" diameter. (Also dug a 1986 quarter w brick red patina, nearby) Much thinner than a large cent. Light sanding of tiny portion of the edge revealed copper. Soaked overnight in olive oil. Cleaned w soapy water. Soaked overnight in 2% hydrogen peroxide. No identifiable markings.

Could the surface have corroded this badly, or could there be a rock-hard coating that can be removed? Hoping for my first Colonial. Thanks.

 

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[HunterMF]

Nice find! Not completely wiped.. looks like maybe on first picture, the date is to the right of the coin? 176? I could be completely wrong. One way is to take a flashlight and shine it sideways on the coin, it may help bring some details (if any) out

 

[bobleyland]

Nice find! Not completely wiped.. looks like maybe on first picture, the date is to the right of the coin? 176? I could be completely wrong. One way is to take a flashlight and shine it sideways on the coin, it may help bring some details (if any) out

I tried the oblique lighting thing (identified a 1907 Barber dollar that way) but maybe your eyes are better than mine.

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[cudamark]

If it was me, I'd do some cleaning. What have you got to lose at this point?

 

[bobleyland]

Agreed. I've only tried hot and cold peroxide soaking, so far.

Suggestions?

 

[brianc053]

Agreed. I've only tried hot and cold peroxide soaking, so far.

Suggestions?

NOTE: There will be those that disagree with some of these suggestions. But I agree with cudamark - what do you have to lose?
I wouldn't use these techniques on a coin that had a chance of identification without their use.

If someone handed me a coin like that here's what I'd try:
1. Andre's pencils. Less than $20 on Amazon, they're my go-to tool for cleaning corroded coppers in 2021. On that coin I'd use the pencil tool then the steel wool tool. Hint: if you have toothpicks and steel wool you can basically do the same thing as Andre's pencils. Use the toothpick to see if you can remove corrosion with it. The toothpick will probably be softer than the corrosion, so the toothpick will wear away. Use a dry toothbrush to clear the shavings. Then take 000 gauge steel wool and twist it into the shape of a pencil. If you can get the twist of steel wool into something like a straw then you can hold it like the pencil. (this last part is a theory; I haven't done it).
2. vinegar for a short period of time. It's more aggressive than peroxide. I'd be looking to see if it breaks down any of the corrosion (but from your pictures I bet it won't). Or try #3.
3. ketchup. It's milder vinegar, but the reason to use it is that it can be applied to one side without getting the other side "wet" (Not an option with normal vinegar). Sometimes I put it on the side that I don't care as much about (your second picture) as a test to see what it will do. It has to sit longer (an hour?) than vinegar (20 min?).
4. Electrolysis. When all else fails I put a copper coin through electrolysis. I don't have an Ugly Box but they're apparently great. I just use an old plug-in charger (an AC-to-DC charger, like ones for a portable radio or other small electronic device. The ones with the round silver&black plug that goes into the device. I cut off the plug thingy and put two alligator clips on the wires. If you're comfortable with this idea so far, then there are YouTube videos on how to make it work). Be Careful though because electrolysis will damage the coin, and there's no going back. 20 minute doses is how I do it. The coin will look like crap afterward (very coppery colored) but you may be able to ID it. Example (we ID'd this as a Draped Bust LC):

Before / After Electrolysis

 

[Hunk-a-lead]

great find and here's hoping its your first Colonial!

 

[Joe-Dirt]

Wiped coppers make me sad......however, with what Brian suggested you should be able to get an ID. It being dug in Connecticut it could be anything. The only “wiped” coppers I couldn’t ID were more than likely British. I found a copper last year I couldn’t ID and put it through the ringer with the techniques Brian suggested and it turned out to be a Vermont “baby head”. The only thing I have not tried is electrolysis, but it looks like it helps. Great find, good luck!!

 

[dts52]

Congratulations on your find. Those coppers are so disappointing in our area. Almost always toasted beyond recognition. Very frustrating.
HH
dts

 

[Jeff H]

Not much you can do to hurt that copper. That is about as pitted as they get. But hey, still a nice find. I love all my coppers no matter how ugly they are. Let us know if you can coax an ID from it.

 

[bobleyland]

When I found the red 1986 quarter nearby, I wondered if the mucky ground was acidic or something.

 

[dts52]

When I found the red 1986 quarter nearby, I wondered if the mucky ground was acidic or something.

I think that Connecticut has very acidic soil. Zinc pennies dissolve here so quickly that it’s hard to believe. In addition, many lawns and fields have been fertilized over the years which also contributes to coin destruction. We need to save them all before it’s too late!
HH
dts

 

[bobleyland]

Cleaned it some with Andre's Pencils (wire brush). One side almost looks and feels like it might have a head facing left.

from left: side 1, side 1, side 2

 

[Silvermonkey]

I'm guessing that will be a mystery coin forever....still a keeper in my book!

 

[brianc053]

Nice job cleaning it up. You did your best. (I reminded my son recently that we didn’t destroy these coins - nature did).

Earlier you told us it’s 1 1/16” (or 27mm), which aligns with a worn King George.
You know what, I might be tempted to call that a King George II Old Head (1746-1758) and move on. You could drive yourself crazy analyzing it.

 

[bobleyland]

CTTodd's eagle eye suspects it's a KG II or III Hibernia. Anyway, it beats my previous oldie of a 1893 Barber dime by quite a bit.