cleaning indian heads

[jonhls]

i have about a dozen ih's i have dug this year and they are all green.is there any way to get rid of the green without chemicals.Most of the im not to worried about but i have a 89 that would be au50 if it wasnt discolored.it is an even green over the whole coin so im not sure how much it reduces the value...any ideas out there ty and hh...jon

[Neil in West Jersey]

I dont think there is anything yo can do about the green color without damaging the coin. I have used the Hydrogen Peroxyde method for removing dirt.


Here is the link to the post explaining the method I use: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...c,39135.0.html.

Good Luck!

[Nashoba]

But they need to be green. That patina is awesome and adds character!! If they are clean, but for the green, I say leave 'em alone. Shiney pennies should be new ones!
Just my 2 cents worth
~Nash~

[dugupfinds]

But they need to be green. That patina is awesome and adds character!! If they are clean, but for the green, I say leave 'em alone. Shiney pennies should be new ones!
Just my 2 cents worth
~Nash~

Totally agree.

[flip]

But they need to be green. That patina is awesome and adds character!! If they are clean, but for the green, I say leave 'em alone. Shiney pennies should be new ones!
Just my 2 cents worth
~Nash~

I agree, if its old , it should look old.

[bazinga]

I would loooooooooove to able to get rid of the green as well. It would make these 90 indian heads I dug this year worth some actual money. I got some pretty good dates in what I found, but sadly being green takes any significant collector value away from them.

[dugupfinds]

I would loooooooooove to able to get rid of the green as well. It would make these 90 indian heads I dug this year worth some actual money. I got some pretty good dates in what I found, but sadly being green takes any significant collector value away from them.

Do you want to collect them or find them? If you want to collect them then buy them, If you want to find them then appreciate the patination.

[coinman66]

The only thing i would do is use the hydrogen peroxide method. I agree with Nash leave em alone green is good! Olive oil works good but i believe it leeches into the coin and it always looks greasy. Happy hunting!

[popcorn]

I agree that's what gives it character

[downindixie]

Use nothing but virgin olive oil and a denture tooth brush.It will leave the nice patina and all details will be seen.I once found a beautiful 1907 IH and every letter in liberty was detailed.I tried electrolysis on it and completly ruined it.

[Silverseeker]

I agree, don't clean them. But if you have nothing to lose and really want to remove the patina, here's a link to one of my earlier posts. http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.p...c,52620.0.html

In this post, I removed the patina from a Lincoln then gave it a fake one. Never do this to any coin of value, but it's a challenging experiment if you are up for it.

[Woodsie]

I soaked one in olive oil and a little dishwater detergent...Left it soak for a few days.....Rinsed it off a little and used a Q-tip to lightly rub some of the dirt off...came out beautiful...full LIBERTY

[damz68]

Silverseeker, you did an awsome job on that penny. I think I will give it a try. I dont think I could do it to an indianhead unless it looked as bad as the wheats I dig around here.

[bazinga]

I would loooooooooove to able to get rid of the green as well. It would make these 90 indian heads I dug this year worth some actual money. I got some pretty good dates in what I found, but sadly being green takes any significant collector value away from them.

Do you want to collect them or find them? If you want to collect them then buy them, If you want to find them then appreciate the patination.

Well it would be nice to be able to sell some of the finds. I'm not saying I want to collect them, I'm saying it would be nice if they weren't green so that if I ever wanted to sell some of my finds I could actually get some decent money for them.

[Trash Digger]

I have never ordered anything from this company, nor have I ever used any of the products, but here is a site that sells stuff to clean coins.

http://www.kelgory.com/coincleaner.html

Mike

[Gribnitz]

What turns them green ? I have found Indians, but they all have been deep brown. Now wheat cents are another matter, they always seem to be corroded really bad, or green.

[bazinga]

What turns them green ? I have found Indians, but they all have been deep brown. Now wheat cents are another matter, they always seem to be corroded really bad, or green.

Soil conditions, water, weather, etc. That's my best answer, haha, sorry it's not too technical. All of the ones I find are green as are most old wheats.

[ringfinder]

I agree with everyone else, don't try to clean them, just be happy you can read the date. I think a little dirt left on the coin helps to read the date.

I also tell people not to try and clean 2 cent pieces, sheilded nickel's or V-nickel's, they turn to crap also. Most of the coins we dig are not going to earn you a lot of money. We just have fun finding them and enjoying them. If of course it is silver, well that's another story.

HH, Ringfinder

[BuckleBoy]

Don't clean them. Your efforts will not improve the collector's value of the coin. Well said, T.Stag.

Buckleboy

[Scots Gaelic]

Ok, I think I may (may) have found something new. I have been trying an ultrasonic cleaner w/ regular solution, to no avail - but - last night I was soooo fed up (with approx 10 coins, unknown value @ the time, due to complete "incrustation"), that I changed solutions. 3 turned out to be mercury dimes, 5 - 1940's silver Canadian cents, and 2 1960' quarters! All look brand new now!

In the ultrasonic, I used "ZEP-Tub & Tile Cleaner" (Home Depot), for approx 20 minutes, on Hi.

P.S. Guys, I don't recommend using your girls ultrasonic cleaner (trust me, she will not like it!)