Eleven Cents
Full Member
Today I dug an odd coin that looked like a green and crusty copper penny, but rang up a little lower than a zinc penny. Zincs are typically rotted in half here, and copper pennies are a rich dark brown. I thought I could barely make out a Memorial back, so I toothpicked the date and thought I saw 1979. I decided to try cleaning it with lemon juice as an experiment.
After only a few seconds, I gave it a rub with my fingers and brushed it with a soft toothbrush. Now I think it says 1919, which would make it my oldest coin yet. (Not very impressive, I know, but I've only been at this a few months.) I immediately rinsed it with cold tap water to neutralize the acid. I don't have any distilled water on hand.
The remaining corrosion is green and raised. My goal right now is just to stabilize it. Should I soak it in tap water? My water is pretty alkaline. So is the ground the coin came out of.
After only a few seconds, I gave it a rub with my fingers and brushed it with a soft toothbrush. Now I think it says 1919, which would make it my oldest coin yet. (Not very impressive, I know, but I've only been at this a few months.) I immediately rinsed it with cold tap water to neutralize the acid. I don't have any distilled water on hand.
The remaining corrosion is green and raised. My goal right now is just to stabilize it. Should I soak it in tap water? My water is pretty alkaline. So is the ground the coin came out of.