1855 Large Cent(?)

TheHbeast · Apr 20, 2020

My oldest coin ever. I feel so blessed haha. I believe this is what it is, found an image of a coin online that i think has the same date as well. The back is completely useless, the whole coin is greatly corroded. 27cm diameter, and heavy

If anyone thinks its something else or has any suggestions for cleaning or ID'ing it would be much appreciated!

Screen Shot 2020-04-20 at 9.21.21 PM.webp

jamest64 · Apr 20, 2020

I found one last year, very exciting. Makes you want to go out tomorrow....

WVExplorer · Apr 20, 2020

Yep. Found an 1856 the other day. Braided Hair Liberty Large Cent. Nice find.

Not much you can do. The coin is already pretty toastie. If you do anything maybe just a tooth pick to get a little bit of the grime out but be careful. You can easily take away the copper detail.

Colonial Digger · Apr 20, 2020

Great find!! I agree tooth pick and let it be anything else will loose all details.

Coinstar magnet · Apr 20, 2020

It may be coroded but it's still a great find...and you can still see enough of the date...nice one!

EdHartzel · Apr 20, 2020

CONGRATULATIONS!!! Awesome feeling isn’t it?!? Any ID on these old coppers is a win. An ID with a readable date is a double win!! -Heres to many more!

Chizzy · Apr 20, 2020

Great find!! Still looking for my first large cent. The advice you're getting is spot on.....old coppers are tough to restore/reclaim.

ToddsPoint · Apr 21, 2020

Coins are great because they come with a date. No guessing. That coin only circulated 2 years before they were withdrawn in favor of the smaller Flying Eagle cent. Gary

E-Trac-Ohio · Apr 21, 2020

A big congrats on finding your oldest coin !

There are a lot of ways to clean old Copper Coins - here's a few ...

(1) - A safe but slow process - many people soak copper coins in Virgin Olive Oil for a few weeks or even up to a few months and use a tooth pick to remove the corrosion a little at a time.
(2) - Heating Peroxide in a microwave then dropping the coin in dissolves the crud - this process must be repeated multiple times and tends to turn the coin black.
(3) - A home made Electrolysis Bath will remove all the crud but it can also result in a loss of some detail on the coin - this process will also remove any of the green patina on the coin that many people find desirable.

As always, check the date on the coin before cleaning it to make sure it's not a key date and understand that you can't "undo" any type cleaning process.

Good Luck & Good Hunting !

Tuberale · Apr 21, 2020

I think you've alreadly gotten lots of help in cleaning. You already know what date it probably is. I think there were several versions on the 1855.

Silvermonkey · Apr 21, 2020

Congratulations on your oldest coin TheHbeast! That large cent is a beauty, and if you found it out in Colorado, that's pretty special!
Congrats

WVExplorer · Apr 21, 2020

Tuberale said:
I think you've alreadly gotten lots of help in cleaning. You already know what date it probably is. I think there were several versions on the 1855.

Good point. Something like the straight and slanted 5 His looks to be a slanted.