First Real Find

[wesfrye53]

Being a "newbie" to finding buried treasure, my first find appears to be a 1883 nickel. It is badly worn but I can faintly make out detail on the front when the coin is wetted. I can't confirm detail on the back; it appears to be corroded, maybe even ground, as in with sandpaper since I see tiny lines thru the magnifying glass. Thanks to riverpie, I know there is little value to this piece outside of my own pride at it being my first find.

I would like to see if I can clean it up a little more....any thoughts?

Sorry, but pictures would reveal little or nothing but a smooth surface.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

How to Research for Treasure Hunting and Metal Detecting From Lead Generation to Vetting - Grab it through Amazon!

[dugupfinds]

Welcome to the forum from the UK.

When a coin is a dud (blank) no amount of cleaning will improve what isn't there. Only coins which were lost in good condition & have had some corrosion build up can be restored.

However, you could try some black boot polish. Rub on & buff off, this may bring up some detail.

 

[wesfrye53]

Thanks for the idea. You told me what I somewhat expected and I'll try the polish.

 

[BioProfessor]

If you have access to a chemistry lab - High School or post secondary, contact the person who uses the lab and ask them if you they will help you with a coin. When a coin is struck, the metal that is "pushed in" becomes somewhat different. A little bit denser/harder perhaps. Anyway, if you apply a strong acid (one that will react with silver (Sulfuric, Nitric, etc.) it will eat away at the "softer" "less dense" metal. In this case the spot that was the non-compressed date. This will let you see what the date is. Make sure you clean the coin completely after this or it will corrode horribly. Not a nice thing to do to a coin but it will let you date the coin.

Daryl

 

[wesfrye53]

Daryl:

Thank you sir!