Two copper pennys + thread link

K1DDO1979

Silver Member
Feb 8, 2014
3,874
8,854
Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia
πŸ₯‡ Banner finds
2
πŸ† Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Minelab equinox 800, Fisher F75 Ltd SE 2 & Fisher F2 with 11"DD
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Two copper penny's + thread link

The penny's I found today aren't much but I'm using them as a excuse to put up a link I started awhile ago in case people missed it. I would like anybody's input. It's a natural easy cleaning method for some finds. Here's some pictures of the two penny's shortly out of the ground and in a hot car for about 20-30mins. I posted on the other thread also! [emoji3]
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1429117412.741964.jpgImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1429117435.542485.jpgImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1429117454.745386.jpg
Accidental trick find for cleaning crusty copper coins!
 

Upvote 1
A guy posted a thread last summer or fall that he had lect some green crusty coins in his car on a hot day. This made the coins expand enough to break up some of the corrosion when they shrunk after the sun went down.
 

It's a good way if you plan to clean a find dry, just with a toothpick or something, but other wise it looks like you could have just rinsed those pennies for a few seconds to removed the dirt.
 

Last edited:
It's a good way if you plan to clear a find dry, just with a toothpick or something, but other wise it looks like you could have just rinsed those pennies for a few seconds to removed the dirt.

I know they probably aren't the best example but I had coins with such a thick crust that came off the same way. Worth a try I guess before any rougher techniques. Especially if you have to to leave them there while you continue hunting. I know in some situations you may not want a coin to dry out either. I'm also just glad it was warm enough to really dig good for the first time today in months! [emoji1]
 

It's almost game on season here too.
 

It's almost game on season here too.

I was down barrington-Yarmouth way driving for work and it was crazy. No snow anywhere. Yards and woods completely bare. Farther I made my way back home the more snow around. Some spots here still have like two feet.
 

Interesting.
You say the heat expands the coin enough to dislodge corrosion; I may have to try this to convince myself if in fact this works.
I think to main motivator here might not be heat but oxygen, combination of temperature and a larger infusion of oxygen via the atmosphere may be the trick. Removal from the soil takes away moisture, raises the temperature of the cent and invites the air to it where the soil would in essence smother it and ****** oxidation.
If you dug a few more cents from a site where they came out of the ground basically the same, you could do some double blind tests on your theory. Put some in the light and heat of your car, put others on a dark area kept cool, and leave others in some moist soil someplace else. Compare the results after a period of time and compare the changes(if any) in the patina and corrosion. Also clean some with soap and water to determine if that gives the same result instantly. Just my thoughts
 

Well you all get it down and call me..... have a couple thousand to throw in your cars! :)
 

I know every situation is different and corrosion wouldn't come off, no detail left, verdigris, etc. but if it's a coin in good shape with just a hard crust (not just dirt) that even soap and water won't wash off then it's worth a shot. I had coins that were just sitting around home a long time that I looked at months later that had crust coming off but car or not the heat and super dry air made the HARD crust come off super fast and easily.
 

I know every situation is different and corrosion wouldn't come off, no detail left, verdigris, etc. but if it's a coin in good shape with just a hard crust (not just dirt) that even soap and water won't wash off then it's worth a shot. I had coins that were just sitting around home a long time that I looked at months later that had crust coming off but car or not the heat and super dry air made the HARD crust come off super fast and easily.


I do know that works for iron from personal experience, just wish it made the item better and not worse.
 

I do know that works for iron from personal experience, just wish it made the item better and not worse.

I hear ya. I checked some old ax heads I put in the basement. They dried out so bad that big flakes keep coming off. I think with the coppers there got to be a perfect combo of temperature and humidity that would work fast and good to get some crusts off. I keep mentioning the car because on a warm to hot sunny day it seems almost the perfect conditions to do it. I should put a thermometer and humidity reader in there to get the numbers. Then could try to dub locate it another way! [emoji2]
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top