4 Diamonds visible on common date Indian cent ribbon

[Possumguts]

Uncommon because of its condition, had to be new when it was dropped. Found in the same hole as a 1899 cent in an old park in Buffalo NY. All I did was wash it and gave it a quick hot peroxide bath.

 

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[DMN]

Pretty little Indian.

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

It isn't often they come out looking like that, but I have found a few beauties.

 

[Mr Tuff]

nice IH MR TUFF

 

[djm of PA]

very nice indians guys! What is with the peroxide bath though? I dropped a 1902 in hot peroxide for 90 seconds and it went from nice and readable to blank and unreadable, pretty much ruined it. What did I do wrong?

 

[Indiana Digger]

Nice Indians, guys!

~Indiana Digger~

 

[Wldbil]

Great looking IH... Congrats

 

[Possumguts]

DJM,
I have had mixed results hydrogen peroxide on copper, if a coin is really bad and corroded, parts of the coin will "flake off" and actually make the coin worse. If the coin surfaces are solid, with corrosion on top of the surface, it will usually remove it. (sometimes helping with a q-tip or toothpick). Corrosion which is not that bad is removed, but it sometimes leaves pitting on the surface. I would never use it on any coin that has substantial value, say over $20. If the cent that I have posted above was as dropped, ie. AU-BU, it might be worth $25-50. But because of the "environmental damage" that comes from being buried for 100 years it is probably worth about $1 now. My advice would to practice on all of the old wheaties that you dig and then let your experience guide you.

 

[djm of PA]

thanks for taking the time to reply! I had two 1902 IHs, so I decided I would sacrifice one in the name of science
The odd thing is that the coin was in good shape and was detailed, looked like a perfect candidate. At this point I may just give it another bath because it is beyond readable now, not gonna hurt it more! The odd thing is that it is not the least bit pitted either, just smooth and flat. I'll try again and let u know. Also will be practicing with wheats. Thanks again

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

thanks for taking the time to reply! I had two 1902 IHs, so I decided I would sacrifice one in the name of science
The odd thing is that the coin was in good shape and was detailed, looked like a perfect candidate. At this point I may just give it another bath because it is beyond readable now, not gonna hurt it more! The odd thing is that it is not the least bit pitted either, just smooth and flat. I'll try again and let u know. Also will be practicing with wheats. Thanks again

Indian Heads and Wheats sometimes require a little light "scrubbing" with a wet q-tip. Because of their bronze composition the soil sometimes becomes attached to the coin. Generally speaking, copper coins will clean up nicely with just the bath and very lightly wiped with a wet q-tip.

If the coin loses its detail after cleaning, it was not the coin you were seeing the detail on to begin with. It is the decomposed metal that had replaced the copper or bronze. The bath simply removed the decomposed materials which had the detail.

As far as soaking higher value coins, I would not hesitate to use the peroxide method, unless it was a true rarity. After all, a dug coin will not ever be worth Red Book value, and no matter how good it looks to you, it will always come back from the grading service marked "environmentally damaged". I have used it on coins which would be graded "scarce" or "very scarce" with no problems.

 

[Erik in NJ]

Only problem I've had with hot hydrogen peroxide and coppers is that when washed and wiped down they have a very "dry" look to them -- what is the best post peroxide treatment? I do have a chemical called Coin Care which I have not tried yet. I put a silver dime in hot peroxide in "the name of science" and it came out badly tarnished - so I assume this should not be done with silver! Any other metals to watch out for??

Also please educate me on what you mean by the "4 diamonds."

Thanks!

 

[HISPAN]

nice Indian .... congrats !

 

[djm of PA]

the diamonds are on the ribbon extending down off the head dress.

 

[allen]

congrats on capturing that great looking indian !

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

Only problem I've had with hot hydrogen peroxide and coppers is that when washed and wiped down they have a very "dry" look to them -- what is the best post peroxide treatment? I do have a chemical called Coin Care which I have not tried yet. I put a silver dime in hot peroxide in "the name of science" and it came out badly tarnished - so I assume this should not be done with silver! Any other metals to watch out for??

Also please educate me on what you mean by the "4 diamonds."

Thanks!

I soak them in Distilled water for a day or two, and then I put a very thin coat of Vaseline. I gently wipe off the excess with a cotton swab. They come out looking great.

FYI, I soak my silver in distilled water to wash off any loose dirt. Tap water has minerals and will tarnish the silver, but distilled water has no minerals.