My first half and a buffalo

[Jason in TN]

Out for two hours today went to where they just knocked
a 100 plus year old house down. It was a mess but I did manage a
1945 half dollar and a nickel. Any one know how too clean it up
I can not see the date, it may not be there.

 

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[jeff of pa]

IF it's a Jefferson Nickle, TAKE A PENCIL ERASER & erase the dirt over the date. it should shine up the high spots enough to see it.

 

[Jason in TN]

It is a buffalo nickel.

 

[jeff of pa]

Thats TUFF, Most of the times the dates are worn off the early ones & even Nic-A-Date (Date Restorer ) dosn't work. Sorry no real advise from me, hopefully some one else has a clue. <> ANY-WAY NICE FINDS THERE, Congrats ; JEFF

 

[rck_1]

soak in olive oil fer a cpl days and then use a soft bristle tooth brush

 

[Jason in TN]

Thanks will give that a try I think the date may be gone
but I still think it was cool to find some old coins for a
change.

 

[Leon]

I have found that after soaking my Buffalo Nickles in olive oil, or hot peroxide, that they have turned a redish/brown. I think they looked better before I did it..

And, that is a great looking Half
I would be checking that spot out again...

 

[dragonsbreath]

Nice finds-keep at it there is sure to be more.
As a matter of fact i found a U.S. coin today here in Wales.
Was a 1901 Silver Dime with small hole for wearing on a chain
Maybe a keepsake.
Found on riverside at local tourist spot.
My Quattro came up trumps again
HH to all & Seasons Greetings from U.K.
Paul .

 

[Silverseeker]

I've read that soaking in lemon juice will work on nickels, but I tried it and ruined my Buffs. It cleaned all the corrosion from them, but left them looking like dull alluminum. So if you find any threads suggesting this method, be really careful.

I wouldn't recommend doing this to any key dates, but I'm going to tumble my next buffalos. All my Jeffersons come out great after tumbling. They look shiny and new 95% of the time. Since it's for my personal collection, I'm ok with having a shiny buffalo that's been cleaned. Although if I uncover a key date after tumbling, I'll probably feel pretty dumb.

 

[Jason in TN]

Thanks for all of the info guys. I had to work and it was cold and windy here in the mountains of TN
today. I will be back out at the spot where they knocked down this old house soon. It is full of nails and other junk that makes it hard to search but I am sure there is more to be found there. It was really cool to find my first silver half. I have not done any thing to the nickel yet I may just leave it the way it is but
I would really like to know the date. It may be worn off though.

 

[True_Metal]

Nice finds! That walking half is too cool 8)

 

[Jason in TN]

Thanks True Metal I am still excited about it. It is snowing a little bit
here today but I cant wait to get back out there. I forgot to mention there is
also a huge beam of wormy chestnut that was a support for the house I am
trying to get in touch with the guy who tore the house down to see if I can get
it.

 

[True_Metal]

Hey, XLT. 8)

What do you want that rotted beam for? Is it still good for anything?

 

[giterdone]

A friend of mine has made a small electrolysis unit that cleans coins up good, I'll try and find out where he got the instructions. Where is the best place to get a six inch DFX coil or is there such a thing? Giterdone

 

[Jason in TN]

True metal wormy chestnut is valuable as the American chestnut is almost extinct.
It last for ever and wood workers will pay a lot for it. Check it out on the net.
There is lots of it for sale on Ebay.

 

[Jason in TN]

I will be getting a 5.3 coil from whites soon I hope. What 6in coin would you recommend
for the XLT?

 

[Leon]

A friend of mine has made a small electrolysis unit that cleans coins up good, I'll try and find out where he got the instructions. Where is the best place to get a six inch DFX coil or is there such a thing?? Giterdone

Here's a link to site that has instructions for a small electrolysis unit:
http://www.gometaldetecting.com/electrolysis_cleaning.htm
I have tried this, and it does work...

Just a word of caution... I myself am not sure if any coins should be cleaned, as I have heard it will drop the value of them, significantly
Good Luck & happy Hunting~

 

[jeff of pa]

Actually , BY BELIEF is when it comes to dealers you loose either way. take an encrusted coin to one, he'll take off for the fact he has to have it professionally cleaned to re-sell it. this means approx. 50%. Take in a cleaned coin and he'll tell you it's not worth as much because it's cleaned & will take off approx. 50%. take an Undug coin in to a dealer to sell, He'll Give you approx. 50% because he wants to make money off it also. >>>> send an encrusted coin in to have it graded, they'll send it back as a "Problem Coin" but still charge you. Clean the coin & send it in, to have it graded, they'll send it back as a "Problem Coin" and still charge you. <> MY PERSONAL OPINION, if you want to sell a coin, you HAVE to clean it. most of the Estate Auctions I'v been to, the nicer the coins looked, the more they brought. even un-important dates, brought 3 to 8 times their book value, all because people get caught up in the bidding, when the see a Shiney Silver Coin. <> IF I wanted to sell a cleaned coin, I'd put it on E-BAY, you'll definately get more then a dealer will give. <><><> AN EXAMPLE of what I'm saying about Dealers; I have 8.1, D.W.T. of 22K Gold . Estimated Value when I took it to a dealer was $150.00 . He told me he could give me $60.00 for it. I laughed and said NEVERMIND. he said, He could go as high as $65.00. I walked away. PROBLEM, He pays me 65 he wants to double his money, and the person he sells to wants to make money too.

 

[MDnoob]

Jeff of PA is totally right.

Dealers are the middle man. They have to make profit from your coin to make a living. They buy low sell high. "Book prices" exist only in the imagination of the book editors who deal mostly with dealers and a little with auctions...

With the advent of ebay the pricing system of many collectibles has been redefined. Book prices are nearly defunct and the prices are now controlled by ebay. Why? Because on ebay you are usually selling directly to the consumer, not thru a middleman dealer. The consumer doesn't know and doesn't care much about the book price, they just want the coin; and they want it NOW. They don't want to wait a week to see the end of the auction. If you have a "buy it now price" which seems reasonable to them the will pay whatever, as long as it is a good price relative to other similar items. I'm sure many coin dealers are now on ebay as well. They can offer a wide variety of coins, graded and whatnot, but you only have to undersell them by a few dollars to sell your coin before theirs. The small shops downtown with some twisted coin dealer hunched over with a jeweller's loop are going DOWN!

If you do ever sell anything on ebay, I would watch the market/the general prices of similar items for several weeks. You can get a feel for what you can sell your stuff for, and for what strategies work.

 

[Jason in TN]

I am with you guys on Ebay being the best way to sell almost any thing.
I would never sell any old coins I have dug anyway. Gold rings I will sell in
a second as I have no love for jewelry but relics and old coins I just like
to look at to much.