How to stabilize this kind of copper corrosion?

Eleven Cents

Full Member
Nov 30, 2016
169
309
Tucson, AZ
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
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.
 

Dug

Bronze Member
Feb 18, 2013
1,138
1,263
SC Lowcountry
Detector(s) used
XP Deus/Sovereign GT.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
If it has a memorial back then it is not a 1919. If it is so ate up that you cannot determine whether it is a wheat or memorial then you are fighting a lost cause to try to return any value to it.
 

OP
OP
E

Eleven Cents

Full Member
Nov 30, 2016
169
309
Tucson, AZ
Detector(s) used
Tesoro Vaquero
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
To clarify, I only thought it was a memorial before I cleaned it. The wheat back becomes visible when it's wet.

I don't care about restoring collectible value (it's probably worth less than a dollar, anyway) but I'd like it to be visually identifiable for my collection. Right now I just want to stabilize it until I find more coins in similar condition to experiment on. My previous oldest penny was from the '40s, and it came out of the ground with a shiny brown patina and no green crust.
 

oldsilver

Full Member
Feb 20, 2017
155
86
East Coast-Mid Atlantic Region
Detector(s) used
Started with a Garrett. I think I've probably tried everything make and model from 1977, all the way to the up to the E-trac and GPX 4800.
Nothing new as for me now, I am pretty much handicapped.
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
baking soda
 

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