Unexpected find at 1940s silver school-a 1st for me!

[TMac]

Hello all!
Went detecting at my favorite school that I've now pulled 21 silver and around 150 wheats out of, and got my oldest coin yet, and a first for me-a 1838 large cent! I couldn't believe it! I thought for sure i was digging up a silver quarter, it sounded so good hitting 15-46 to 17-46 on my etrac 8" down...i was much happier seeing this! Question for you all- I've read that some of you soak your old coppers in olive oil. How long do you soak it for? Do you just rinse it after soaking it? What exactly does this do? Thanks all for reading, happy hunting!
TMac

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Erik in NJ]

Olive oil sux--use warm hydrogen peroxide. Bathe the coin a few times till it cleans up.

 

[WHADIFIND]

Olive oil sux--use warm hydrogen peroxide. Bathe the coin a few times till it cleans up.

Peroxide does clean. But, you should caution to really be careful! It does it's job soooo quickly! One might leave it in there too long and not be able to read anything. Gotta go slow, a little at a time.

This appears to be a very special coin to TMac. AND congrats to you TMac! A VERY nice save!

Some of these coppers are just plain better left as is, they display very well. Hope it's a long viewing!

HH!

 

[TMac]

Peroxide does clean. But, you should caution to really be careful! It does it's job soooo quickly! One might leave it in there too long and not be able to read anything. Gotta go slow, a little at a time.

This appears to be a very special coin to TMac. AND congrats to you TMac! A VERY nice save!

Some of these coppers are just plain better left as is, they display very well. Hope it's a long viewing!

HH!

Thank you! It is a special coin to me. I just started detecting this year and love all the "firsts" you get in this hobby. It's like Christmas every hunt!

 

[kycoinguy]

Congrats on your first Large Cent! I still haven't found one YET!

 

[TMac]

Congrats on your first Large Cent! I still haven't found one YET!

Thanks!, Hope you dig one yourself soon!
Gl hh

 

[ironhorse]

I like your cent,,,,,just the way it is.

Why do you feel it needs cleaning?
All the detail remains and represents a true find from the ground

 

[TMac]

I like your cent,,,,,just the way it is.

Why do you feel it needs cleaning?
All the detail remains and represents a true find from the ground

Thanks, I just thought i could get it to look better with some natural cleaning

 

[Erik in NJ]

Thanks, I just thought i could get it to look better with some natural cleaning

I agree--I think you can get it to look 1000% better than its current state with a few baths in some warm peroxide and a gentle brushing with a Q-tip. Once you have removed all of the dirt and any corrosion you should seal it with bees wax or Verdi-Care for best eye appeal. That LC seems to be in pretty good shape and will only be enhanced with some careful restoration.

 

[renogeoff]

Bet that school property goes back to before the 40's. Great spot you have there! I'll be hitting some 1900's schools when I come out in a couple weeks. I'll give you a shout out when I get into town and we can search for some more CT treasures!

 

[terpfan]

I agree--I think you can get it to look 1000% better than its current state with a few baths in some warm peroxide and a gentle brushing with a Q-tip. Once you have removed all of the dirt and any corrosion you should seal it with bees wax or Verdi-Care for best eye appeal. That LC seems to be in pretty good shape and will only be enhanced with some careful restoration.

Very well said. Congrats TMac on your terrific find. Now that you know the old stuff is there, slow down and see if you can find some more!

 

[TMac]

Bet that school property goes back to before the 40's. Great spot you have there! I'll be hitting some 1900's schools when I come out in a couple weeks. I'll give you a shout out when I get into town and we can search for some more CT treasures!

Sounds good!
On old maps it looks like it was a farm..like every other property was in my area on the 1934 CT map

 

[TMac]

Very well said. Congrats TMac on your terrific find. Now that you know the old stuff is there, slow down and see if you can find some more!

Will do! I'll tell you, this school is weird..I've pulled all the silvers and 98% of the wheats from one small section near the road...i can't find any silver anywhere else at this school..and boy have i hit that one section..can barely find a signal there now. The lc came from the far end of the property

 

[ironhorse]

I agree--I think you can get it to look 1000% better than its current state with a few baths in some warm peroxide and a gentle brushing with a Q-tip. Once you have removed all of the dirt and any corrosion you should seal it with bees wax or Verdi-Care for best eye appeal. That LC seems to be in pretty good shape and will only be enhanced with some careful restoration.

peroxide, bees wax ,Verdi care and coins doesn't suggest all natural to me lol

some gentle cleaning would improve the look

 

[Erik in NJ]

peroxide, bees wax ,Verdi care and coins doesn't suggest all natural to me lol

some gentle cleaning would improve the look

Well peroxide and bees wax are natural substances (especially the latter) and I have had very good success with Verdi-Care as a sealer/preserver. If you look at my CT copper (my banner find) I used warm peroxide, Verdi-Care, and Q-tips...works for me That copper was pretty dirty coming out of the ground. I'm leaning towards relying more on the bees wax to replace the Verdi-Care though in the future. Now I just need to find some old coins LOL

 

[cjon455]

I killed any hopes of finding a date on the only Draped bust Large cent I have, soaked it in olive oil and used a toothpick, i rubbed off almost all the detail on the front all you can see is the bust looking right. do what you please with this coin just be careful, awesome find by the way

 

[CoinandRelicMan]

Nice large cent find!If it were mine I would soak in in baby mineral oil overnight before trying anything, then maybe some gentle rubbing with more fresh mineral oil (while wearing nitrile gloves this reduces the friction even more) and some light toothbrush maybe if necessary along with more fresh baby oil. I used to like olive oil but I like the results from the mineral oil better so far. I don't really like the peroxide solution it seems real harsh and would only use it as a last resort.

 

[TMac]

I think it looked better before i rinsed it and gently rubbed it with a sponge...i also soaked it in olive oil (which i already started before my initial post yesterday)...but it's still the best looking large cent in my eyes =)

 

[ironhorse]

I think it looked better before i rinsed it and gently rubbed it with a sponge...i also soaked it in olive oil (which i already started before my initial post yesterday)...but it's still the best looking large cent in my eyes =)

I guess I'm being"that guy" but I still think the 'out of the ground' condition and eye appeal will never be back ( maybe unless you re-bury it again for 150 years) and I liked it better before cleaning....I had to be honest and give my opinion on that

 

[TMac]

I guess I'm being"that guy" but I still think the 'out of the ground' condition and eye appeal will never be back ( maybe unless you re-bury it again for 150 years) and I liked it better before cleaning....I had to be honest and give my opinion on that

I agree with you 100% and if i ever dig another one i know what I'm not doing =)